Fined twice on same day for having no car tax

[vortexangel]

Hi - I wonder if anyone can help me.

I received a letter from the local court's service this morning telling me I had failed to display a valid vehicle license and now have 21 days to pay a £90 fine.
Now I know it is wrong to have no car tax, and would not normally have this problem.

The car tax ran out at the end of Dec 2007. I couldn't afford to keep it on the road so gave it away to a local mechanic. He was on holiday until 10 Jan 2008 - I had the car outside and yes, stupidly, on the road outside my house. On 6th Jan I got a ticket and was fined £60.

Today I checked that payment of the fine showed up on my bank statement - I had paid it to the DVLA on 28th Feb, so I called the DVLA to check they had a record of it. They said they had a record of me paying a fine for keeping the car on the road whilst having no tax and that this was different to the fine I had now got a letter for. The fine for failure to display is a police matter and nothing to do with DVLA.

It is very threatening, I had no knowledge of this second fine, and is the first I had known of anything going against me in the court. I checked the date that the DVLA fine was for - it was the very same day and time as this 'supposed other' offence. So it seems that I am being asked to pay twice for the same offence. Failure to have, and failure to display , but really, shouldn't it be the one fine? I only got one ticket!

Does anyone know anyway I might be able to get out of this? - I have no money to pay this fine, I still can't afford to keep a vehicle, and it seems totally unfair to have this fine turn up nearly six months after i had the vehicle.

Thanks
Lisa

[jaxs]

Can't help you with the fines part but did you change the log book details when you gave the car to a local mechanic? If you didn't do that then, you should do it now.

[Pew Pew Pew Lasers!]

I don't think you can be punished twice for the same offence.

Contact the local police station with proof you have already paid DVLA.

[kazwookie]

I would change the owners details, and get it off the road, or the person who now has it to take it away, /and / or fill in a SORN and get it off the road.

I would also go / ring the local coppers and explain in a calm reasonable manner to them and see what they suggest.

[Keith]

I don't think you can be punished twice for the same offence.

Contact the local police station with proof you have already paid DVLA.

Two different offences, failure to display a tax disc and failing to tax or sorn the vehicle.

[vortexangel]

Can't help you with the fines part but did you change the log book details when you gave the car to a local mechanic? If you didn't do that then, you should do it now.

Yes that's all done now. The vehicle was signed over about 5 months ago.
Cheers =)

[vortexangel]

I would change the owners details, and get it off the road, or the person who now has it to take it away, /and / or fill in a SORN and get it off the road.

I would also go / ring the local coppers and explain in a calm reasonable manner to them and see what they suggest.

Thanks, It's worth a try, maybe they will be sympathetic:rotfl:

[jarrod1]

whats a S.O.R.N. for ?
i would say that you can be fined twice, if after the first fine your car still wasnt taxed and the change of owner or a sorn wasnt completed then it wouldnt be strange to receive another legal fine

[bryanb]

Yes that's all done now. The vehicle was signed over about 5 months ago.
Cheers =)

If you really mean 5 months that was before the date of the offence, five months ago it was 27th Dec 2007

[vortexangel]

Two different offences, failure to display a tax disc and failing to tax or sorn the vehicle.

I don't think it should be like that at all, one ticket - one fine; that's what I thought - BUT That's what DVLA say as well - and I might just have to pay it at the end of the day, but I had no notice of the second fine until they slapped an extra £30 on it in court, then sent me a demand.

No chance to pay (or contest payment) in the first place.

Total of £150 in fines :mad: just six days after the tax had run out - It would have been in the mechanic's yard had he not been on holiday(that's just bad luck i guess). Also the police left 1 ticket only. Seems very unjust.

[vortexangel]

If you really mean 5 months that was before the date of the offence, five months ago it was 27th Dec 2007
Sorry - I'm so upset about it I got count wrong - it was signed over around the end of January.

[vortexangel]

whats a S.O.R.N. for ?
i would say that you can be fined twice, if after the first fine your car still wasnt taxed and the change of owner or a sorn wasnt completed then it wouldnt be strange to receive another legal fine
Both on the same day? Seems to be from the same ticket too.

The police put a ticket on the car, I sorted it out as soon as I had the cash(Paid DVLA fine £60 Mid Feb). The car was SORN within a couple of days(10th Jan), and moved to the new owner's yard off road. Both fines are dated 6th Jan and refer to the same time.

[vortexangel]

Thanks for your sympathy Pew Pew - I agree that it seems like the same offence - I mean, how can you display it if you dont have it - i guess its a way for them to squeeze more money out of people. I think Keith might be right :rolleyes:

I don't think you can be punished twice for the same offence.

Contact the local police station with proof you have already paid DVLA.

[LandyAndy]

I don't think it should be like that at all, one ticket - one fine; that's what I thought - BUT That's what DVLA say as well - and I might just have to pay it at the end of the day, but I had no notice of the second fine until they slapped an extra £30 on it in court, then sent me a demand.

No chance to pay (or contest payment) in the first place.

Total of £150 in fines :mad: just six days after the tax had run out - It would have been in the mechanic's yard had he not been on holiday(that's just bad luck i guess). Also the police left 1 ticket only. Seems very unjust.

No. As Keith pointed out. You failed to either tax or SORN it. Thats one offence and would be an offence wherever you kept the car.

Then you kept an untaxed car on the public road. Another entirely separate offence.

[Keith]

Total of £150 in fines :mad: just six days after the tax had run out - It would have been in the mechanic's yard had he not been on holiday(that's just bad luck i guess). Also the police left 1 ticket only. Seems very unjust.

This is going to sound harsh, but you had from the date of buying your tax to know when it expired and to sort out arrangements for where it was going to be.

You may have received a notice from the DVLA advising you that you needed to tax the vehicle or SORN it and remove it from the public highway.

As I understand it, the penalty notice for failure to display is normally attached to the windscreen of the vehicle, if you have failed to pay this then it has gone to Court. These are issued by Police or community Support staff.

The fine for not taxing or declaring SORN is sent by the DVLA and normally means you'd also have to pay any back duty.

As you've reminded me, I've got to report 3 locals who have vehicles on the road with no tax, I suggest anyone else who spots one to do the same via this link (http://dvla.gov.uk/onlineservices/report_unlicensed.aspx?ext=dg) or via your local councils website. A great number of these vehicles have no MOT or insurance (some even may have been bought at an auction and the buyer trying to scam a duplicate disc ;) ) Report them all!

[bt80k]

hi vortex angel,id contest the second fine,my daughter had the same sort of thing whilst she was waiting for the breakers to take the car away .. a notice was issued by a pco but it only resulted in one fine..........