Alleged Flouting of the Law

oneye14

A new neighbour several doors down has arrived on our street.
The usual greetings were exchanged at the time, however over the next few weeks it has become obvious they have 2 cars.
The older one never goes onto their drive and has clearly seen better days.
We assumed they would dispose of it but it disappears for a while, then comes back.

It clearly shows a battered and loose tax disc (once stuck to the windscreen with sellotape) of expiry date April 2012.

There is no current tax disc showing which I understand in itself is an offence. If it is indeed untaxed then I understand it is not insured either even if they pay for insurance. For the avoidance of doubt it is used and parked 'on the public highway'.

What do we do (4 options I think) ?

gilbert_and_sullivan

Not wishing to be a govt spy, i'd ignore it.

Nothing the current regime would like better than to issue grey uniforms and peaked caps to the youngsters, the unpaid eyes and ears of the party apparatchiks.

Live and let live.

TonyMMM

You need insurance to tax a car ...... but not having a tax disc does not mean there is no insurance, or that any insurance would not be valid.

You can report untaxed vehicles to DVLA using a form on their website.

Sgt_Pepper_2

oneye14 wrote: »

A new neighbour several doors down has arrived on our street.
The usual greetings were exchanged at the time, however over the next few weeks it has become obvious they have 2 cars.
The older one never goes onto their drive and has clearly seen better days.
We assumed they would dispose of it but it disappears for a while, then comes back.

It clearly shows a battered and loose tax disc (once stuck to the windscreen with sellotape) of expiry date April 2012.

There is no current tax disc showing which I understand in itself is an offence. If it is indeed untaxed then I understand it is not insured either even if they pay for insurance. For the avoidance of doubt it is used and parked 'on the public highway'.

What do we do (4 options I think) ?

Yes its an offence not to display a current disc but it won't effect the insurance.

mchale

Put reg in here: http://www.askmid.com/?gclid=CPLA8cPa5rECFdKBfAodhnQAEA

bazster

If they had it taxed until April this year then they are probably not tax dodgers, probably just didn't get around to putting the new tax disc in. Mine tend to hang around on the table inside the front door for weeks until I remember to take them out to the car.

Yes it's an offence not to display it, but I hardly think the Plod will take much interest if they find out that it is actually taxed.

What exactly is the problem here? You just don't like a tatty car in the street lowering the tone?

Mr_Thrifty

maybe they are on the fiddle

fivetide

Why not have a word? Point it out and simply add something like "You might want to get that sorted in case plod pull you... you know what it is like with ANPR these days."

Couch it as a bit of neighbourly advice rather than a telling off and you shouldn't have an issue. No need to go running to the authorities first off. People should talk more! As bazter said, they might have forgotten it or not re-registered the car to the new address and missed the reminder through the post.

5t.

The_Black_Sheep

I have no wish to be a government spy either but if I pay my road tax I want others to do the same.

Surprising that this can still occur with all the threatening all seeing DVLA adverts warning of 'automatic fines' and so forth.

bazster

The_Black_Sheep wrote: »

I have no wish to be a government spy either but if I pay my road tax I want others to do the same.

Surprising that this can still occur with all the threatening all seeing DVLA adverts warning of 'automatic fines' and so forth.

That they are not displaying the disc doesn't mean they haven't paid.

The_Black_Sheep

bazster wrote: »

That they are not displaying the disc doesn't mean they haven't paid.

Nor does it mean they have.

But on the balance of probabilities the chances are that they haven't given that the one on display is three and a half months out of date.

To argue anything else is to be deliberately obtuse.