Tax Disk Fine... Bang to rights or innocent victim?

AdrianC

jimjames wrote: »

The current situation with car tax (duty) looks to be highly confusing

No, not really.

Cars are still being advertised as having tax on adverts.

Simple. Ignore mention of tax in ads.

Cars can be driving round with a valid tax disc that are untaxed.

Simple. Ignore round piece of paper in windscreen.

Not the situation here but the implementation could have been done so much more cleanly by separating out the changes.

Which way?

Tax non-transferable, but paper disc still valid/required? That'd do nothing to resolve either of the points you raise, and actually just confuse the matter further.

Tax transferable, but no paper disc? It wouldn't add much, and would raise the possibility of the vendor cancelling the tax and applying for a refund after you've driven off in the vehicle. That's always been possible, of course.

tripled

Not getting the reminder is a bit of a red herring, as irrespective of fault (address not updated by keeper, lost in the post, printing error at the DVLA), the onus on renewing the tax at the appropriate time falls on the keeper. I'm sure you can understand why - if it wasn't this way, the world and his/her dog would be driving around without tax, claiming they hadn't had the reminder. Not renewing the tax may have been an innocent mistake, but I'm not sure that makes your partner a victim.

Same goes with signing and returning the form - another innocent oversight perhaps, but ultimately your partner didn't complete the actions necessary to avoid the previous oversight being brought before the courts.

If you haven't already, I'd suggest phoning the DVLA and seeing if your partner can sort it before it goes to court, even if there is some additional expense. If not, at least your partner can demonstrate you have tried to rectify the oversights and hope that counts for something in mitigation.

arcon5

Yes, it's highly unfair and people are being overly critical here.

Ops partner accepted she messed up, paid the clamping fee then promptly paid the fine for failing to tax the car. Hardly op trying to blame somebody else. Yet despite this they are pursuing her further.

How anybody can accept the state treating motorists like this is anything other than unfair is beyond me.

Technically though, i'm not sure what will happen.

mgdavid

jimjames wrote: »

......
Cars can be driving round with a valid tax disc that are untaxed.......

I think that's rubbish; if the tax disc is valid then the car is taxed (unless the disc belongs to a different vehicle).
And if the car is untaxed (for example due to a recent change of keeper) then the disc is no longer valid.
I stand to be corrected.

PenguinJim

AdrianC wrote: »

Simple. Ignore mention of tax in ads.



Simple. Ignore round piece of paper in windscreen.

From my outsider perspective, that is confusing. Thank you for posting the solutions to the confusing set-up, but just because a problem has a simple answer does not mean the problem itself is not confusing. How is "ignore certain misleading pieces of information - like these, for example" not implying confusion?

I can even see where the OP's partner tripped up with the phone/sign-and-return problem - perhaps the assumption that the choice was to pay over the phone or to write a cheque and mail it in with the signed document? Yes, personally I would have read it thoroughly and (I hope!) not made that mistake, but I can see how it's possible to get it wrong.

Car_54

mgdavid wrote: »

I think that's rubbish; if the tax disc is valid then the car is taxed (unless the disc belongs to a different vehicle).
And if the car is untaxed (for example due to a recent change of keeper) then the disc is no longer valid.
I stand to be corrected.

This is all academic since the tax disc has been abolished, but ...

Under the (now obsolete) system), I believe the only likely way in which a tax disc could be invalid is if the keeper had obtained a refund by making a fraudulent declaration that the disc had been lost or destroyed.

arcon5

[quote=[Deleted User];67020616]This is all academic since the tax disc has been abolished, but ...

Under the (now obsolete) system), I believe the only likely way in which a tax disc could be invalid is if the keeper had obtained a refund by making a fraudulent declaration that the disc had been lost or destroyed.[/QUOTE]

I think it's obvious that when people talk of the tax disc they are referring to VED in its current form.

Also if a refund has been issued then the tax disc is not 'valid' anymore.

Car_54

arcon5 wrote: »

I think it's obvious that when people talk of the tax disc they are referring to VED in its current form.

On the contrary, I think it's obvious that the poster to whom I was responding was referring to the paper disc

arcon5 wrote: »

Also if a refund has been issued then the tax disc is not 'valid' anymore.

Isn't that what I said?

Iceweasel

Some people are oblivious to all changes in rules and procedures.

It'll take until October next year before we hear the last of the confusing 'Tax Disc' questions.

A quick glance around any supermarket car park will show you that many/most people still have a disc displayed.

If we call these still displayed discs 'invalid' the unaware will be even more confused as the discs might well be dated as not expiring until as late as 30th September next year.

I think the DVLA should have issued an instruction that they all be removed and binned on the 1st November 2014.

The reality of the situation would have been brought home to many more people much quicker..

alastairq

Even more of a red herring?

Whether one continues to display a VED disc, or not, is now irrelevant. [[Since there is now no legal requirement to do so].

I have left mine in place simply because I cannot be bothered to remove it.
It will probably stay there for another 5 years.....since its removal is not of the greatest importance to me....[and it is not unlawful to display it....yet!]

I also have a 'quite old' car...which has just had it's [free] VED renewed......the last disc is still in its holder, as I haven't got around [or, cannot be bothered] to removing the entire thing...[it's bolted down, anyway]

If my laziness in this respect confuses and upsets others, well, that's tough.

Being the user of a motor vehicle on hte public highway brings a whole raft of duties and responsibilities into play.

If the user as above, cannot be bothered to make themselves fully aware of their duties & responsibilities, then they will pay the price.

What the person concerned here probably needs is sympathy. [with all the excuses trotted out]

Which won't be forthcoming from me.