I got a £60 road tax penalty - can I contest this?

forgotmyname

custardy wrote: »

agree on that
we dont need to put an MOT in the window,so i dont see why we need a tax disc with todays tech

How else will your nosey neighbours know if your cars taxed properly?

Watch them walking the dog with a notepad, Jotting down your details. Then come back 2 minutes past midnight when your disc runs out to see if the new ones in there yet.

God help you if you leave it until the morning. Top of the agenda at the next meeting. 24 hours and they will have already informed the council/DVLA of an abandoned/untaxed vehicle.

Or is this just my neighbours? Sad thing it rubs off. I now have a habit of looking at tax discs as i walk down the road.

About time we were allowed to personalise them.

Heycock

You don't have to take my word for this, but as someone by dint of mileage driven and by the nature of my job, I was subject to frequent spot checks by the boys in blue...particularly the traffic bobbies. I made sure in the cause of self interest that I got on with them and we used to have some very interesting chats.
One of the things they ALL would say was that an untaxed car was MASSIVELY more likely to have no MOT, no insurance and possibly have the full house of an unlicensed driver at the wheel.

RichardD1970

forgotmyname wrote: »

How else will your nosey neighbours know if your cars taxed properly?

Watch them walking the dog with a notepad, Jotting down your details. Then come back 2 minutes past midnight when your disc runs out to see if the new ones in there yet.

God help you if you leave it until the morning. Top of the agenda at the next meeting. 24 hours and they will have already informed the council/DVLA of an abandoned/untaxed vehicle.

Or is this just my neighbours? Sad thing it rubs off. I now have a habit of looking at tax discs as i walk down the road.

About time we were allowed to personalise them.

Just yours I think!

Sounds like you have done something to seriously p*** off your neighbours :rotfl:

artbaron

I had this a while ago and was caught by a traffic warden. I said I'd got a disc but had mislaid it and he replied that if it was the case I wouldn't get a fine, which I didn't.

Heycock

Good point from Artbaron. You can get reported not just by neighbours but also by Traffic Wardens...whether you're being booked or not, council officers, CPSOs and bobbies on foot where they still exist. Without a visible disc they'd have nothing to report and the tax-dodgers would get away with it.
I'd go further...down the French route and put insurance in the windscreen as well.

artbaron

^ I agree re the insurance. It's a bit OT but there should be something like the tax disc, combined with very heavy penalties if it's for the wrong car or displayed after the owner has 'accidentally' cancelled their policy. The police have ANPR of course but others don't, and whilst I wouldn't report someone for no tax I'd be happy to report someone for no insurance.

Wongsky

I have to say I have some sympathy in this situation. The failure to display thing originated from, and was perfectly valid in a time where there was no other quick and easy way of checking.

These days, it seems something of an anachronism for somebody to be fined for it, if having valid tax / VED for the car.

I get, it's absolute - but the absolute thing, as I mentioned previously, stemmed from a time where this couldn't be quickly and easily verified.

Sgt_Pepper_2

Wongsky wrote: »

I have to say I have some sympathy in this situation. The failure to display thing originated from, and was perfectly valid in a time where there was no other quick and easy way of checking.

These days, it seems something of an anachronism for somebody to be fined for it, if having valid tax / VED for the car.

I get, it's absolute - but the absolute thing, as I mentioned previously, stemmed from a time where this couldn't be quickly and easily verified.

How?

Not all vehicle excise details are held on the PNC.

Wongsky

Sgt_Pepper wrote: »

How?

Not all vehicle excise details are held on the PNC.

Um there's a handy government website where you can tax your car, or check whether a car is currently taxed.

Now true enough, the general public aren't supposed to check cars that aren't their own, but I'm pretty sure those that need to check have some access - either at the end of a phone / radio, or through a smartphone.