Road tax fine - advice please!

nic_santorini

yes, most of the above is right. £60 for the police fund and up to £1000 from the DVLA, usually just ask for the back dated tax. Lucky you have not had your car cubed for non-payment of car tax. Did you know that having no VEL also invalidates your insurance!! Just as well you did not have a claim too!

freakedout

thanks to all of you for your responses (even the sarky ones about buying a calendar)

I have lived in the same place for 10 years and had never any problems about getting a new re-licensing form through the post in a timely manner. Yes this IS a form of reminder, thank you very much.

So... if I understand all your responses:
I have to pay the police fine of £60 + DVLA fine of £80 + all the back tax + the new tax....?

Whew. I can live with all that I guess. I would have had to pay the tax anyway so theoretically it is not 'mine' as such even though it WILL hurt coming out in one go.

Yeah £140 fine is a !!!!! but I was really worried at a £1000 fine !!!

lets hope this is the case.

cheers

flutterbyuk25

The £60 fine is a police fine probably for failure to display a tax disc.

The DVLA fine will be £80 plus 2months arrears of road tax (in standard cases), this is for failure to relicence (tax) - separate offence to the Police.

OP - I suggest you check the address on your V5C/logbook incase you have overlooked a change of address. There is no need to be worried, just keep car off road til taxed, ring DVLA monday on 0870 240 0010 (8am to 8.30pm) - or look on saynoto0780 website for alternative - to find out if a fine has been issued, if one has been issued they will give you the tel no for the relevant Enforcement Office to ring to find out the outstanding amount and you can pay there and then and case will be closed. As the recorded line says they can only advised amount due and take payment, not discuss appeal, but as you have no appeal then you can ring them to pay.

freakedout

Thanks for that.

I have a local DVLA office that could probably help me do the paperwork and officially log it. So much for a relaxed Monday morning.

Am a bit miffed that my insurance has also not come through (should have been two weeks ago) thus leaving me even further stranded for paying tax asap...
If I could do it online they check automatically, I believe.

aaargh.


oh well. "these things are sent to try us."

thanks for all your advice.
I will reply when I have sorted it out and tell you what happened.

cheers.
slightly less freakedout

MaximumImpact

yes, most of the above is right. £60 for the police fund and up to £1000 from the DVLA, usually just ask for the back dated tax. Lucky you have not had your car cubed for non-payment of car tax. Did you know that having no VEL also invalidates your insurance!! Just as well you did not have a claim too!

Just to advise that it most certainly does not invalidate your insurance. Tax is Tax and insurance is insurance...just as having no insurance doesnt invalidate you tax disc...and having no MOT doesnt invalidate your tax or insurance and so on and so on...

flutterbyuk25

There is little need to go to your local DVLA office to be honest. You can pay the fine (if one has even been isued) over the phone once you've spoken with DVLA. You'll just be making an extra unecessary journey by going to the office!

Options for re-taxing:

1. Wait for insurance cert/cover note to come through post and tax at Post Office - needs to be original not fax/photocopy/downloaded one.
2. Tax online/by phone (assuming your address is correct on V5C) so insurance can be electronically checked - HOWEVER you will still need to wait for disc to come through the post before using vehicle on road, which is up to 5 working days.

So it's up to you which you think will be the quickest option.

The local DVLA office cannot tax the vehicle for you without you having the insurance certificate/cover note.

HTH

x

freakedout

Hi,
All sorted.

the basic sketch is:
My insurance new certificate (lost in post) number was same as old one.
New tax done online Sunday morn.
MOT and insurance checked automatically anyway... had owners certificate so merely needed to type in a number plus reg-plate. bingo = new years tax starting from Jan 1.

Visited DVLA office (on way to work ... by bicycle every day anyway) and paid wot - I owed for 5 months overdue tax. (couldn't do that online, but it DID flag up that I owed it)

Then called enforcement office from work and was told I owed £40 fine plus two months overdue tax, which I didn't understand why since I just paid it, and they didn't either so told me to call Swansea. Then after they checked with supervisor I was assured I only owed £40 for the fine, and all was good and case shut.

Everyone was nice and helpful, a big relief after a weekend of worrying about grey, cold-hearted bureaucrats demanding my first child and several years salary.

lesson learned, new plug-in for calendar on computer to remind me about all sorts, + corrected my address with all parties.

whew!

Still owe the cops £60 because the district court was closed for lunch for two hours (how primitive is that? What? never heard of people on lunch break trying to take care of business???)... which was the most frustrating part of the whole thing today.

thanks to all of you for your kind and varied advice.

not-at-all-freaked-out-any more.

angel00079

MaximumImpact wrote: »

Just to advise that it most certainly does not invalidate your insurance. Tax is Tax and insurance is insurance...just as having no insurance doesnt invalidate you tax disc...and having no MOT doesnt invalidate your tax or insurance and so on and so on...

If it is in the T&C's I think that it can invalidate the insurance if not taxed etc.

sarahg1969

angel00079 wrote: »

If it is in the T&C's I think that it can invalidate the insurance if not taxed etc.

Firstly, it's unlikely to be in the T&Cs of your insurance (I've certainly never seen it), and, secondly, the insurers would have to deal with any third party claims anyway (although they could pursue you for repayment). How would the insurers know it was untaxed, anyway?

alanrowell

sarahg1969 wrote: »

How would the insurers know it was untaxed, anyway?

Ask the DVLA