Hi,
Just discovered to my horror that I'd forgotten to get a new tax disc, which expired at the end of November. Now this was an honest and stupid mistake and I realise I've been lucky not to have been caught (yet). But now it's happened, what do I do, if that's not a completely stupid question? Can I just go to the post office and get my replacement (backdated to end of November) without getting into trouble - surely the PO staff aren't going to perform a citizen's arrest!? If not, what can I do?
Thanks!
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Simple - renew it online - it'll automatically run from when the old one ran out. Or you could just go to the Post Office.
And they can't do a citizens arrest, as this can only be done for acts that have prison as a potential sentence (or so I'm told)
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What is annoying about tax discs is that you can't purchase one (either online or at a post office) until 2 weeks before your last one runs out.
So what do you do if you're away on business or holiday?
Isn't the penalty for renewing late sent through the post after you renew?
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........ can't purchase one ......... until 2 weeks before your last one runs out.
According to my last reminder, you can apply for a new disc from "the 5th day of the month before the tax disc is due to start".
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>> ........ can't purchase one ......... until 2 weeks before your last one runs out. According to my last reminder you can apply for a new disc from "the 5th day of the month before the tax disc is due to start".
Are you sure? That must be a very recent relaxation. I'm sure I was stopped very recently trying to renew on the 14th.
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The latest form most certainly says 5th. of the month;it also states that you may drive for the first five days of the following month with no disc(or an expired disc)on show as long as the DVLA records show that an applcation has been received.
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I forgot as well. Did it online on Friday, it came on Tuesday. I don't think there's a penalty - the new one commences 1 December anyway. I think the extra charge applies if you 'miss' a month.
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Just discovered to my horror that I'd forgotten to get a new tax disc which expired at the end of November.
Relax. Just go to the Post Office as soon as ever possible.
Edited by L'escargot on 11/12/2008 at 07:16
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Don't want to put the frighteners on you...
Many years ago (80s) I was the same situation - having driven round for 3 or 4 months without tax disc, then backdating to expiry of previous one once I'd realised. In about month 6, I got a visit from an official to say my car had been seen parked in about month 3 without a tax disc, which resulted in a court appearance. Despite quite strong mitigation (there was an "honest" reason, and the fact that I'd backdated it before I knew I'd been caught) I still got a £5 fine, but no expenses - not a fortune, even then, but quite a scary experience nonetheless.
Edited by smokie on 11/12/2008 at 07:58
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You've got till about Monday before they do the monthly computer run and it spits an £80 fine out for not having tax or SORN.... Online has got to be best bet.
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Thanks for the responses... given the choice between renewing online or going to the post office, the latter seems like the better bet, simply because I don't have to wait for it to arrive in the post and I'd be up the proverbial if I got caught in the meantime. So I think that's what I'm going to do today. If I get caught I promise to complete this thread from my cell :-)
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About 9 years ago one of my cars was broken into. Usual malarky, side window smashed, radio nicked, loose change and so on from glove box. Anyway it was fixed and I got it back. No one including me noticed that the tax disc had also gone. I drove it for nearly six months like that and it was only when the reminder came through for a new one that I realised the old one was missing. I can only assume it went at the time of the theft.
Now, the interesting thing is, that car was used as a work car and was left parked all over the country in town and city centres. During its time without a disc it went to and from Stranraer to Belfast and was security checked. It also went to France a couple of times.
At no time did it get questioned. What's more the old disc never manifested itself as having been used illegally, at least not to my knowledge.
Now I know this is a different scenario to the original question in so far as that tax had been paid but it struck me as odd that it never seemed to be an issue even with officials like port police and customs.
Why do we display a disc now anyway if "they" can tell whether or not a vehicle is taxed?
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 11/12/2008 at 09:15
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>Why do we display a disc now anyway if "they" can tell whether or not a vehicle is taxed?
Given this level of effective surveillance, a scan/photocopy should be enough to satisfy passing traffic wardens or cameras, as long as the system knows a disc has been paid for?
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Given this level of effective surveillance a scan/photocopy should be enough to satisfy passing traffic wardens or cameras as long as the system knows a disc has been paid for?
Asking for trouble since I think it's a more heinous crime to copy a tax disc than to forget one.
With ANPR the fact that the duty had been paid would flag up within hours of the purchase. The only thing you could then be done for would be failing to display. I've heard of this being done but IIRC the person did not contest the issue; I would have done so, if only in the hope of embarrassing the authorities.
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Why do we display a disc now anyway if "they" can tell whether or not a vehicle is taxed?
Some people who only drive to the local shops may never pass an ANPR camera.
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...but an ANPR camera may pass them. They are mounted in police cars too now...
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You've got till about Monday before they do the monthly computer run and it spits an £80 fine out for not having tax or SORN.... Online has got to be best bet.
I'd love to know how good the DVLA's computer program actually is, a lad in work was just over 7 weeks late with his tax disc when he remembered, bought it on-line, arrived 2 days later. Never recieved the £80 fine he was expecting and his had run out almost 2 months prior!!? Good old DVLA.... tools of the highest order. Lost my Lisence etc. But thats another story.
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There is an abandoned Vauxhall Omega (W Plate 2.2 Litre in very good condition) in our works Car Park its been there for about a year and never moved dispite repeated email bulletins about it asking for the owner to claim it and move it.
The Tax ran out on it about 9 months ago and although the DVLA seem to be "able to find the a untaxed/unsorned car where ever it is" (according to the ads) they have yet to find this one
also if anyone is interested there is a free Vauxhall Omega (W Plate 2.2 Litre in very good condition) it needs a good home. no one has yet to claim it, probs need a new battery though.
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Pay up today, or you'll be auto-fined by 'puter for not filling up a SORN (£80 I think), as well as being possibly "done" when you use the car.
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They may have changed the procedures, but I have SORNed a car on the last day of the month in which it should have been taxed/re-SORNed and not had any problems.
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There was a car parked on the road on my street that had a tax disc that was about IIRC 3 months out the car was NEVER moved as it also had flat tyres - I phoned the police (local police station not 999) and was told "we dont deal with that kind of thing and to ring the DVLA" I rang the DVLA and was told it was already reported but could not find the car when they went to look for it despite the reg number of the car and make /model and colour already given to them as i gave them the details again.
but they would send someone out in the next two weeks or so
I advised them that they could not miss a bright red car parked under the only tree on the road, - it was still there for another 2 weeks and then it just vanished, I never knew the outcome becasue the DVLA helpline will not tell you.
Edited by redviper on 11/12/2008 at 11:37
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I to must hold my hands up and say I failed to renew car tax on SWMBO Yaris - this was about two yrs ago and went straight online and renewed it - it automatically backdated it for those months missed which was fine as it had been used on road - - in 40 yrs of vehicle ownership this was first time I have ever missed taxing a vehicle - this one I put down to DVLA not sending a reminder - at time I did ask around and seemed they had changed their system and I got missed - unfortunately at my age now I do need reminding.
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i had a near fatal crash on the M1 in january, luckily the lorry didnt go over the top of us . the first thing the cops asked when they arrived at the scene.. " wheres your tax disc" unfortunately the old one was still on display and the new one was in the glove box we purchased weeks before online but had forgot to swap them over at the start of the month
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I always sellotape my new tax disk, as soon as I get it, to the screen alongside the existing one to avoid remembering to swop them at midnight at the end of the month :-).
Then all I have to remember is to remove the old one but I have 11 months + to do that :-)
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i had a near fatal crash.......
>>...... the first thing the cops asked when theyarrived at the scene.. " wheres your tax disc"
Nice :-(
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I got a new tax disc for my transporter in the 80s. I didn't have time to put it in the holder so propped it up next to it on the dash in good veiw. I was out a few days later without the truck and a mounted policeman rode down my drive and had a go at my wife for having an untaxed vehicle parked on the road......observation powers ?
Ted
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Well you think you'd notice a horse on your drive wouldn't you !
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We did have trouble with one a couple of years ago, I think it got in through an airbrick !
Sorry, wrong specs, misread horse as mouse !
Ted
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Felix
i had exactly these situation at the end of September - realised that the car wasn't taxed on about the 10th October, parked it on the drive, and tried to tax it.
Online renewal didn't work, because i'd missed the date (apparently), so into a post office, 5 minutes and £200 later, one tax disc, and i've not had any follow up for being two weeks late in renewing.
Worry not on my sample of one
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