Fine for not renewing road tax

pinkfluffybabe

tripled wrote:

Wow, I didn't expect this to be quite so controversial.

I just thought I'd pick up on a couple of points raised:




Ah yes, but pointing out the front. I don't stand in front of my car gazing at it, I sit inside on the opposite side to my tax disc driving it, with the back of the disc facing the passenger.

All the same, it is there. You must sometimes wash your car? Maybe I am a geek but I am well aware when my tax, insurance and MOT expire.

tripled

I have a terrible memory, so I can never keep track of things I need to do. But I do tend to have a good memory for things I have done (even when drunk!), so I would usually think 'I renewed my tax last October so it must be due again in April'.

However, as it was a new (to me) car, I didn't have this knowledge to guide me. I did have a vague feeling I should check my tax... but never remembered when I was getting in/out of my car.

Wig

derrick wrote:

Everything I have said is true.

Everything you have said has nothing to do with the thread which is on about the DVLA 80 pound fine. Nothing to do with driving unlicenced. If he did drive it, so what? What's that got to do with the 80 pound fine.

Everything I said was also true, with the possible exception of the DVLA saying officially you have a 14 day period after expiry in which to renew. *note I said possible exception, because I swear I have seen it either on the *old* DVLA website (they now direct you to direct.gov.uk). Or someone posted it here.

You're the idiot for talking about irrelevant issues and not accepting that I had already flagged up a warning on the other issue, just for people like you who like to confuse the matter.

derrick

Wig wrote:

Everything you have said has nothing to do with the thread which is on about the DVLA 80 pound fine. Nothing to do with driving unlicenced. If he did drive it, so what? What's that got to do with the 80 pound fine.

Everything I said was also true, with the possible exception of the DVLA saying officially you have a 14 day period after expiry in which to renew. *note I said possible exception, because I swear I have seen it either on the *old* DVLA website (they now direct you to direct.gov.uk). Or someone posted it here.

You're the idiot for talking about irrelevant issues and not accepting that I had already flagged up a warning on the other issue, just for people like you who like to confuse the matter.

Most threads on these boards go off at a tangent, but the point about the offence of "not displaying a valid/current disc" is a valid point to bring up on a thread of this kind, especially as the OP did drive it under those conditions.

Wig

Your post #13, quoted me talking to Crabman (on a tangent), who asked me about being a day late for car tax in reference to the £80 fine, and not talking about driving unlicensed.

You came along and said "But then you have the offence of "not displaying a valid/current disc""

I pointed out to you that we (crabman and I) were discussing the 80 pound fine only, therefore your statement had no relevance. I also (just to keep you happy) pointed you to post #5 where I had addressed that issue already.

You then replied to me #17 quoting my reply telling you I was discussing the £80 fine only and proceeded to talk rubbish about driving unlicenced AGAIN. It has no relevance.

I have had to repeatedly say - you do have the opportunity to renew your disc within the first month after expiry - though the later you leave it (obviously) the riskier it becomes. You have never acknowledged this is true, even though the DVLA people will tell you this on the phone. What's worse is you continually imply that it is untrue by saying "14 days" to renew does not exist. Well how do you explain this then?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1316462&highlight=What+happens+if+you+do+your+vehicle#post1316462

So I ask you, are you sure "everything you said is true"?

the point about the offence of "not displaying a valid/current disc" is a valid point to bring up on a thread of this kind, especially as the OP did drive it under those conditions.

I did bring it up in #5, you have never acknowledged this. However, the point has no relevance to the issue of the fine being reclaimable or not as it is a seperate issue. Just like the OP had Spaghetti bolognaise for dinner on October 1st, has no relevance to the issue of his £80 fine being reclaimable or not. The £80 fine as you well know is for not renewing or SORNing, the only issue is whether he renewed or SORNed or his reasons for not doing so,
If the car was off the road - no relevance
If the car was on the road - no relevance
What he had for dinner - no relevance

pollyangel

My, my, this is getting heated. But perhaps not as heated as I got when a letter dropped on my door mat saying I hadn't taxed/SORNd my motorbike at the end of October. I have four motorbikes. Three are in storage and one I ride. One of the ones in storage was taxed until October 2006. The bike is in a shed at the bottom of the garden along with two of it's mates, covered with a blanket and I rarely go to the shed. As I haven't ridden it for nearly a year I intended to SORN it but I forgot, and wasn't sent a reminder.

I wrote a pleading letter only to be told that they try to send reminders but are not 'obliged to'.

I was also told about the Bill of Rights 1689 business but I don't think it will hold water.

Solution? Bite the bullet and pay up. I've now checked all of my bikes and SORNd all three of them for the 1st January so I shouldn't forget next year.

Wig

Perhaps a computer diary reminder might help. Doing them all at the same time makes sense. If the man taking the parking fine to the high court wins, it will go to the house of lords for sure. But if he wins again you and everyone will get a refund of all parking fines, DVLA fines, speeding fines, the lot, Estimated at over 1 billion pounds.

But I think the men in dark corridors of power will not let him win the case.

monarch_2

Bought a car from auction on eve of 17/07/07

Had to pick up from auction next day, no tax on it, (covernote already in post)

19/07/07 still no covernote , car unfortunatly spotted by cop and reported.

covernote arrives next day 20/07/07 and tax purchased backdated to 01/07/07.

Now i have a fine of £53 to pay, I have explained to DVLA what happened but to no avail, they feel i have broke the law by having this car on the road even though i backdated to 1st July. Anyone think i have a chance in court?
Its taken them nearly two months to send this fine.

Conor_3

Wig wrote: »

But as Albert hinted upon above. To get a fine your car would have to be untaxed for more than 1 month.

WRONG. The law changed a couple of years ago. Now if you haven't bought a tax disc by the first day of the month following the expiry of the old one or declared SORN, you're liable for an £80 fine.

Conor_3

monarch wrote: »

Bought a car from auction on eve of 17/07/07

Had to pick up from auction next day, no tax on it, (covernote already in post)

19/07/07 still no covernote , car unfortunatly spotted by cop and reported.

covernote arrives next day 20/07/07 and tax purchased backdated to 01/07/07.

Now i have a fine of £53 to pay, I have explained to DVLA what happened but to no avail, they feel i have broke the law by having this car on the road even though i backdated to 1st July. Anyone think i have a chance in court?
Its taken them nearly two months to send this fine.

Not a chance. Actually, you could also have been rightly charged with using an untaxed vehicle and not displaying a valid tax disc. You're lucky your car wasn't towed.

There's no excuse. If you have no covernote so you can't get a tax disc, you don't use the car on the road - plain and simple.