Displaying tax?

[TW]Fox · 17 Oct 2013 at 13:21

pepsilol said:
1. You have to move.
2. It's a pointless exercise.
3. I hate dealing with those tax display holders.
4. I end up with fingerprints on my screen.
5. Majority of people don't care.
6. It proves nothing, when was the last time a copper looked at it and said, yes that is taxed and didn't dig any further, they always call in to check manually.

It's not a pointless exercise, it's a legal requirement.

I agree the entire concept of a tax disc is totally stupid but until somebody changes the law we must display one.

Tom|Nbk · 17 Oct 2013 at 13:25

I'm amazed with some of the replies in this thread from some people I thought were 'sensible' forum members

Housey · 17 Oct 2013 at 14:43

See, OCUK Motors does provide a service. I have just been reminded to put 12 months tax on my wife's car by this thread, which runs out at the end of this month. So I am ahead of the game this time

acemastr · 17 Oct 2013 at 15:21

I almost got a fine for not displaying on my bike when I got pulled for a small plate (it was 6 months old at the time) as I keep it in my wallet, I happily displayed it to him and said that it gets gunky and nasty in the front wheel and that it'll likely get stolen.

He didn't accept this... so I got an allen key when he turned round and put it in, he then accepted it.

div0 · 17 Oct 2013 at 16:06

Tom|Nbk said:
That doesn't exactly confirm what the DVLA have said, it seems a huge grey area? What a faff on.

In what way does it conflict?

The way I understand them both is:

You get a 14 day grace for the purposes of displaying the disk.
You get no grace for buying a new disk

Basically don't think that you can drive around for 13 days without valid tax and plan on buying a new disk at the last minute. You would get no grace in this instance. But if you bought it in time (before the old one expired) and haven't yet displayed it, then you should be ok (for the first 14 days).

MagicBoy · 17 Oct 2013 at 16:16

Havana_UK said:
I think you have 14 days' grace period when the vehicle is taxed but the tax disk is not displayed because you haven't yet received it.

It certainly works this way with new cars, so I'd assume a broken SORN is the same situation.

I got done for not displaying, even though the tax disc was renewed as soon as the notification letter arrived.

Went abroad, left car on the street for a week with the curent one in the windscreen holder, and the new disk on the dash next to it ... which then fell onto the floor somehow. Local beat copper spotted it and issued a NIP with a fine. That was on the 3rd of the month.

div0 · 17 Oct 2013 at 16:41

MagicBoy said:
I got done for not displaying, even though the tax disc was renewed as soon as the notification letter arrived.

Went abroad, left car on the street for a week with the curent one in the windscreen holder, and the new disk on the dash next to it ... which then fell onto the floor somehow. Local beat copper spotted it and issued a NIP with a fine. That was on the 3rd of the month.

This seems to go against what the DVLA and Police Website state - but then like a lot of 'grace', I guess it might be down to individual discretion (ie bad luck if you get a jobsworth?)

Still not sure why you did this though:

MagicBoy said:
Went abroad, left car on the street for a week with the curent one in the windscreen holder, and the new disk on the dash next to it

If you had the new disk, seems strange not to just display it properly?

MagicBoy · 17 Oct 2013 at 18:03

Thought occurred to me at the last minute as I went out the door to catch the flight...

Tom|Nbk · 17 Oct 2013 at 18:44

Tax has arrived

realscot · 19 Oct 2013 at 11:45

Just yesterday I was mot'ing an E46 M3 that had been off the road for almost a year so it had a 2012 expired tax disc in the window. Now since the M3 has an LSD I had to use the good old decelerometer to get some brake readings, and we use a nice dead end road about 100 yards up the street from the garage for this purpose.
Just as I pulled out of the forecourt a police car was going past the other way, I saw in my mirror he turned and followed me up the dead end street. His eagle eye saw the wrong coloured tax disc so I then got the usual nonsense from a poorly educated copper.
"You need trade plates" blah blah blah, no I don't not for an MOT test. Takes all my details etc then leaves me be. It's happened a few times before and i've never heard from them again.
BTW, no source for the no trade plates required but I was told by the head VOSA guy for scotland that this was the case, so I think he'd know best.