Tax Expires Tonight!

The_Dark_Side · 1 Jul 2007 at 16:46

Matt82 said:
its amazing that there is an offence for not displaying an uptodate disc if yours is genuinely on its way, but it doesnt suprise me in this stupid country. i expect if i was on the dole id be exempt for paying it or something

it's even dafter than that, if you have a disc but it's fallen out of it's holder you can get a ticket for failing to display.
seems a bit silly in these days of computerisation and system integration all it takes is a database check to see if you've already paid.
the "failing to display" offence has it's roots in a pre-computerised part of our motoring past.

teaboy5 · 1 Jul 2007 at 17:38

chill

You have 14 days to pay your tax once it runs out. It even says on the back of the letter.

csmager · 1 Jul 2007 at 17:55

teaboy5 said:
chill

You have 14 days to pay your tax once it runs out. It even says on the back of the letter.

I think it actually says you can't renew it until 15 days before it expires.

That said, I ordered mine online about 5 days after it had expired this year. And I drove over 400 miles before I got the new one.

The_Dark_Side · 1 Jul 2007 at 18:52

teaboy5 said:
chill

You have 14 days to pay your tax once it runs out. It even says on the back of the letter.

i got a ticket once at 8 minutes past midnight for no road tax.
the plod had noticed my tax was about to expire and simply played the waiting game.
unless the rules have changed, and i don't believe they have, you get NO period of grace at all.

daztrouk · 1 Jul 2007 at 20:10

I need to tax my car, its insured but the MOT has expired, and as you know you can't get tax unless you have an MOT. If i get pulled over driving towards the MOT station, they can't do anything can they, unless they'd prefer i push the car there?

The_Dark_Side · 1 Jul 2007 at 20:18

daztrouk said:
I need to tax my car, its insured but the MOT has expired, and as you know you can't get tax unless you have an MOT. If i get pulled over driving towards the MOT station, they can't do anything can they, unless they'd prefer i push the car there?

not if you have a pre-mot test booked in advance.
if you get stopped and just randomly say you're on your way to test it without any proof then you will be fined.

Lostkat · 1 Jul 2007 at 21:44

teaboy5 said:
chill

You have 14 days to pay your tax once it runs out. It even says on the back of the letter.

That's a myth. It says absolutely nowhere on the letter that you have any period of grace. I've just double checked it to make sure. As csmager, all it says it that you can apply after the 15th of the month before. They clamped down on this a few years ago.

teaboy5 · 1 Jul 2007 at 23:48

Lostkat said:
That's a myth. It says absolutely nowhere on the letter that you have any period of grace. I've just double checked it to make sure. As csmager, all it says it that you can apply after the 15th of the month before. They clamped down on this a few years ago.

Its no myth and if i cant find the letter i will scan it tomorrow in work and post it

Bare in mind it may be different in NI, but i am not talking out my ass

Taken from the NI site

What About The 14 Days Grace?

If your vehicle licence has expired there is an understanding that you may continue to use the vehicle for up to 14 days. However you must apply for a new licence within the 14 day period and licence it from the expiry date of the previous licence. If proof that a complete application has been received at DVLNI, before taking a vehicle on the road, you will not be penalised for driving without a current Vehicle Licence or for failing to display one.

The 14 days period of grace is a concession. In law a current licence must be displayed at all times when the vehicle is on the road.

^^Gord^^ · 1 Jul 2007 at 23:57

Not the case for England....

http://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q370.htm

Although there is a lot of confusion about that. I've even been told there is 14 days grace by a Police officer in the past!

teaboy5 · 2 Jul 2007 at 00:00

^^Gord^^ said:
Not the case for England....

http://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q370.htm

Although there is a lot of confusion about that. I've even been told there is 14 days grace by a Police officer in the past!

Odd that, they should try and make both systems the same.

The MOT over here is great,

Lostkat · 2 Jul 2007 at 00:01

Ahhhhh, didn't say you were NI. DVLA site says:

The new rules mean that keepers who fail to re-license their vehicle (or declare SORN) will incur an automatic penalty of £80 (reduced to £40 if paid within 28 days). Those who ignore the penalty could receive a County Court Judgement against them, could be stopped by the police, and/or have their vehicles clamped. Determined offenders will be faced with prosecution and could be fined a minimum £1000.

DVLA carries out a computer check each month to identify those vehicles without a valid tax disc. Although the new rules mean that it is no longer necessary for the vehicle to be seen on a public road before a penalty is issued current on-road enforcement will continue.

Came into force Jan 2004. So I guess that's a £40 fine for me then.. and absolutely nothing I can do about it because they won't accept fax copies and my insurance docs haven't come through due to the postal strike. Fantastic!

teaboy5 · 2 Jul 2007 at 00:02

Lostkat said:
Ahhhhh, didn't say you were NI. DVLA site says:

Came into force Jan 2004. So I guess that's a £40 fine for me then.. and absolutely nothing I can do about it because they won't accept fax copies and my insurance docs haven't come through due to the postal strike. Fantastic!

Yeah soz, i thought they would have been the same

Lostkat · 2 Jul 2007 at 00:04

Sadly not. Great for hitting the people who are trying to dodge paying, but not for people who've just bought new cars and haven't had their docs through. *Grumble*