Car tax fine - even when i paid on the day of receiving a final reminder

trinidadone

neilmcl wrote: »

Not really, I'm sure there are those who will continue to drive without tax even after receiving a fine. The reminder is imply there to give you the available options open to you, ie, tax or SORN.

Yes that is true, and the Op taxed the vehicle the same day, and still got fined. So as the OP says, seems "pointless" might as well go directly to fining and forget the final reminder, or better still send the fine and final reminder together!!

rich13348

As lots have said, you were fined for driving without tax. You were then sent a reminder to tax your vehicle. The fin does not negate the need to tax your vehicle. The tax is still due even after you have been fined or you will be fined more.

ronniesnakes

You are talking sense!! Finally someone on here that gets the point I'm making!

DoaM

And remember - you can be fined simply for not taxing your vehicle. It doesn't need to be seen on the road - even having it off the road but un-taxed is still an offence ... if you haven't SORNd it.

Edit: being seen on the road is more likely to generate a fine, as there are too many cars to track each one every day. The reminder was just that - "Hey, you'd better sort out your vehicle tax else you might get a fine". The photographing, hence fine, happening around the same time as the reminder was purely coincidental.

ronniesnakes

I paid the tax as soon as I received a final reminder, I know the tax was still due.


They photographed the car, sent a reminder, I paid it, they then sent me a fine!

rudekid48

There are 2 distinctly separate issues here that you seem to be treating as the same thing;

1/ You were driving a vehicle that was not taxed, got caught, and have been fined.

2/ The same vehicle then needed to be taxed going forward or SORNed to avoid further fines / action.

You taxed the car when you got the final reminder and so satisfied point 2. You now need to pay the fine to satisfy point 1.

Taxing the car now has no relevance to point 1 - it is an absolute offence - the car was either taxed or it wasn't.

Car_54

ronniesnakes wrote: »

I paid the tax as soon as I received a final reminder, I know the tax was still due.


They photographed the car, sent a reminder, I paid it, they then sent me a fine!

The sequence of events is not as you describe. Communications between departments and systems are often not instantaneous.

The reminder would have been activated - and possibly even posted - before you were photographed. These things tend to be printed and posted in large batches, perhaps weekly, and use discounted (and slow) postage.

Similarly, the fine may have been set in motion before you paid the tax.

trinidadone

ronniesnakes wrote: »

You are talking sense!! Finally someone on here that gets the point I'm making!

Hello Ronniesnakes, as mentioned above, i completely get you. Also a huge welcome to Moneysavingexpert, i see your a newbie, so welcome aboard - are you going to visit your local CAB? just out of interest, what month was the vehicle tax due, and when after did you receive the final reminder?

rich13348

Also you can pay your car tax through direct debit either monthly or yearly. That way you don't have to remember to tax it every year it takes the money every year while you have that car and you don't cancel it.

Car_54

trinidadone wrote: »

Hello Ronniesnakes, as mentioned above, i completely get you. Also a huge welcome to Moneysavingexpert, i see your a newbie, so welcome aboard - are you going to visit your local CAB? just out of interest, what month was the vehicle tax due, and when after did you receive the final reminder?

What do you imagine the CAB will tell him that we haven't?

The OP committed a criminal offence, and was caught red-handed. The fine will help to reduce the tax burden for the rest of us.