Vehicle Tax fine..

The_stingemeister

Got a letter from pastdue credit solutions saying I didn't pay car tax on time. True, it's overdue by 4 months, but I didn't get a postal reminder and had simply forgotten about it. Have the DVLA stopped doing reminders now? I know people will say it's my responsibility, and thats fair enough, but still pretty cynical to keep secret about an owing amount and to compound this by farming the collection of the resulting fine to some debt collectors who I know nothing about. How would you know if this is a scam? Is it possible to pay the £80 direct to DVLA, and bypass these debt collectors? I would rather pay DVLA and they can sort out the payment to this lot.

AdrianC

The_stingemeister wrote: »

Have the DVLA stopped doing reminders now?

No. But the reminder is legally just a courtesy, and failure to receive it doesn't change the legal responsibility.

Have you moved recently?
Have you got your V5C there? Is the address correct?
Check the V5C doc ref on https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ and clicking on "view tax rates" - is it the most recent?

A very quick google shows that DVLA do indeed pass the debt to PastDue, so it's almost certainly legit - and if DVLA have passed the debt on, then it's past dealing with them directly.

The_stingemeister

Thanks for the rapid and helpful reply. It's quite annoying, probably forgotten about as I pay online and it's such a small (until the fine) amount of £20. A larger sum would stick in the memory.

lopsyfa

Maybe pay by monthly direct debit from now on. Sure you’ll pay slightly higher than £20 but the DD will automatically renew every year and save you from future fine.

The DD can even be useful if you have current accounts that require active DD for rewards.

AdrianC

lopsyfa wrote: »

Maybe pay by monthly direct debit from now on. Sure you’ll pay slightly higher than £20 but the DD will automatically renew every year and save you from future fine.

The DD can even be useful if you have current accounts that require active DD for rewards.

Or even by annual DD.

£20 VED isn't eligible for six-monthly payments, and the monthly DDs attract 5% premium.

iainscomputer

Our £20 VED is paid monthly, it's £1.75 per month.

TooManyPoints

Here's another idea:

Get a piece of paper and a pen. Write on it:

"Tax expires on dd/mm/yy"
"Insurance expires dd/mm/yy"

and, if applicable:

"MoT expires dd/mm/yy".

Get some Sellotape and stick the piece of paper somewhere prominent inside the car so that you see it when you get in. There! I've cured three potential problems for you in one go:T

iolanthe07

TooManyPoints wrote: »

Here's another idea:

Get a piece of paper and a pen. Write on it:

"Tax expires on dd/mm/yy"
"Insurance expires dd/mm/yy"

and, if applicable:

"MoT expires dd/mm/yy".

Get some Sellotape and stick the piece of paper somewhere prominent inside the car so that you see it when you get in. There! I've cured three potential problems for you in one go:T

Or possibly cut out a round piece of paper, preferably in a different colour for each year, displaying the date of expiry in large bold numbers. You could then sellotape it onto the inside of the windscreen, the bottom left hand side would be a good place, and anyone passing, including yourself, could see that the car is taxed.

It is a puzzle to me why the government never thought of such as easy and logical system...….

AdrianC

iolanthe07 wrote: »

It is a puzzle to me why the government never thought of such as easy and logical system...….

Almost as puzzling as why people think a piece of colourful paper is a somehow less fallible primary record than DVLA's computerised record...

Marvel1

Pen and a calender works wonders for all sort of reminders.

Alanp

Not to mention a smart device