Tax disc question

reduceditem

Ok, so my current disc expires at the end of January and I already have the new one.......can I start displaying the new one now or do I have to do it on the 1st Feb?

The reason for asking is that I might be away on the 1st of Feb.

Thanks.

custardy

you dont need to display the new one on the 1st
you have 5 working days to change the disc on expiry

Quentin

Better to display them both now then. It would be an offence not to display a current one on your car till the end of the month.

reduceditem

So you can't put the new one in in advance? That surprises me a bit.

Anyway, I'll stick 'em both up.

Quentin

What would you see as the difference between putting a new one up in advance, putting an old out of date one up or not putting one up at all?

They are all the same offence of not displaying a current disc.

ariba10

If you had not had a current tax disc, they would not have issued the next one untill the date it became valid.

My one staring in February, is the one I have on display.

Quentin

ariba10 wrote: »

My one staring in February, is the one I have on display.

THe offence of not displaying a current tax disc carries a penalty!

wrote:

A current tax disc must be displayed on the vehicle it was bought for. If you buy a new tax disc before your current tax disc expires, you should not display the new one until the old one has expired. The new tax disc is only valid from the first day of the month you have taxed from. The maximum penalty for failure to display a current tax disc is £200. The tax disc can not be transferred between vehicles.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10021514

Some people say the enforcement officers are jobsworths. You are making their job easy!

ariba10

As far as I can remember (Without going down to a cold garage)

There is an issue date and an expiry date. But no commencement date.

Quentin

ariba10 wrote: »

As far as I can remember (Without going down to a cold garage)

There is an issue date and an expiry date. But no commencement date.

No need to go and get cold. You can read about your law breaking here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10021514

The new tax disc is only valid from the first day of the month you have taxed from.

thenudeone

I am very surprised by the advice on the government website.
Do they really expect people to pop out at midnight on the last day to switch discs, or to display both until the new one starts?

It is impossible to get a tax disc in advance unless you already have a valid disc for the same car which is valid up to the date of the new one starting.
The new disc has an issue date and an expiry date. Nowhere does it state a "start date".
Therefore under any reasonable interpretation of "current", it is a current tax disc.

I think a successful prosecution for "failing to display" would be extremely unlikely.

Quentin

thenudeone wrote: »

I think a successful prosecution for "failing to display" would be extremely unlikely.

You're probably right. These days a FPN is the way it's dealt with.

Here's a tale of woe concerning a jobsworth giving out a ticket early on the first of the month:

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?218797-Fixed-Penalty-Notice-Failure-To-Display-Tax-Disc