Roland Perry wrote
[...]
And in the USA (where I used to live anyway) you pay sales tax on
secondhand cars bought from a dealer. That's one tax we escape in the

UK. You can also end up paying sales tax on the car you already own
if
you "import" it from one state to another!

Wrong, in Britain sales tax (VAT) is paid on "secondhand cars bought
from a dealer" - there is a special scheme for secondhand goods so VAT
is only charged on the dealer's margin.
In the same way VAT may be due when permanently importing a car from
another EU state which can include the situation when a car is written
off after a crash.

--
Mike D