Fined twice on same day for having no car tax

vortexangel

Hi - I wonder if anyone can help me.

I received a letter from the local court's service this morning telling me I had failed to display a valid vehicle license and now have 21 days to pay a £90 fine.
Now I know it is wrong to have no car tax, and would not normally have this problem.

The car tax ran out at the end of Dec 2007. I couldn't afford to keep it on the road so gave it away to a local mechanic. He was on holiday until 10 Jan 2008 - I had the car outside and yes, stupidly, on the road outside my house. On 6th Jan I got a ticket and was fined £60.

Today I checked that payment of the fine showed up on my bank statement - I had paid it to the DVLA on 28th Feb, so I called the DVLA to check they had a record of it. They said they had a record of me paying a fine for keeping the car on the road whilst having no tax and that this was different to the fine I had now got a letter for. The fine for failure to display is a police matter and nothing to do with DVLA.

It is very threatening, I had no knowledge of this second fine, and is the first I had known of anything going against me in the court. I checked the date that the DVLA fine was for - it was the very same day and time as this 'supposed other' offence. So it seems that I am being asked to pay twice for the same offence. Failure to have, and failure to display , but really, shouldn't it be the one fine? I only got one ticket!

Does anyone know anyway I might be able to get out of this? - I have no money to pay this fine, I still can't afford to keep a vehicle, and it seems totally unfair to have this fine turn up nearly six months after i had the vehicle.

Thanks
Lisa

jaxs

Can't help you with the fines part but did you change the log book details when you gave the car to a local mechanic? If you didn't do that then, you should do it now.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

I don't think you can be punished twice for the same offence.

Contact the local police station with proof you have already paid DVLA.

kazwookie

I would change the owners details, and get it off the road, or the person who now has it to take it away, /and / or fill in a SORN and get it off the road.

I would also go / ring the local coppers and explain in a calm reasonable manner to them and see what they suggest.

Keith

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

I don't think you can be punished twice for the same offence.

Contact the local police station with proof you have already paid DVLA.

Two different offences, failure to display a tax disc and failing to tax or sorn the vehicle.

vortexangel

jaxs wrote: »

Can't help you with the fines part but did you change the log book details when you gave the car to a local mechanic? If you didn't do that then, you should do it now.

Yes that's all done now. The vehicle was signed over about 5 months ago.
Cheers

vortexangel

kazwookie wrote: »

I would change the owners details, and get it off the road, or the person who now has it to take it away, /and / or fill in a SORN and get it off the road.

I would also go / ring the local coppers and explain in a calm reasonable manner to them and see what they suggest.

Thanks, It's worth a try, maybe they will be sympathetic:rotfl:

jarrod1

whats a S.O.R.N. for ?
i would say that you can be fined twice, if after the first fine your car still wasnt taxed and the change of owner or a sorn wasnt completed then it wouldnt be strange to receive another legal fine

bryanb

vortexangel wrote: »

Yes that's all done now. The vehicle was signed over about 5 months ago.
Cheers

If you really mean 5 months that was before the date of the offence, five months ago it was 27th Dec 2007

vortexangel

Keith wrote: »

Two different offences, failure to display a tax disc and failing to tax or sorn the vehicle.

I don't think it should be like that at all, one ticket - one fine; that's what I thought - BUT That's what DVLA say as well - and I might just have to pay it at the end of the day, but I had no notice of the second fine until they slapped an extra £30 on it in court, then sent me a demand.

No chance to pay (or contest payment) in the first place.

Total of £150 in fines :mad: just six days after the tax had run out - It would have been in the mechanic's yard had he not been on holiday(that's just bad luck i guess). Also the police left 1 ticket only. Seems very unjust.

vortexangel

bryanb wrote: »

If you really mean 5 months that was before the date of the offence, five months ago it was 27th Dec 2007

Sorry - I'm so upset about it I got count wrong - it was signed over around the end of January.