re Displaying/Tax disc paid for

[Answerprancer]

I was wondering what in reality is the situation if you have paid for a car tax disc online (so it's on the system) but then drive the car before it gets delivered.
The Direct.Gov site states that you can be fined "up to £200" which to me seems unreasonable if it's paid for.
If for example a copper scanned my plate when driving down the motorway, could the info tell him that it is paid for *but not yet delivered* then pull me over and do me?

(Nb. I'm not looking for "rules is rules" style answers thank you)

[jake-the-peg]

but you don't have to accept the fixed penalty do you?

[barney4444]

When you renew on line you are able to print a confirmation slip that your car is taxed and you are waiting for the disc to arrive. perfectly legal..

[jake-the-peg]

If you look at this forum at the post on

11-02-2012, 1:13 PM

http://forums.moneysa...wthread.php?t=3787795

You'll see a practical case where the CPS dropped such a case as not in the public interest which whilst not guaranteed is what I'd expect in the real world.

[Baldric]

If you retax online before midnight on the day the old tax expires you are allowed 5 days before you have to display the new disc (I always do mine about 23:30 on the day it's due to expire).
It's stated on the back of the reminder form in red type.

[sherminator]

sorry for hi jacking but why on earth in this day and age does it need to be displayed?
The police know from number plate if you have it or not and just seems bonkers!
I always have tax and one time it had fallen off windscreena nd i had a notice threatening me with £1000 fine!! mental state of affairs when they could have seen my number plate and found out pretty quickly that I do have tax!

[jake-the-peg]

I was talking to a policeman about a similar question the other day

Because the insurance database and I presume the tax database, is not owned and operated by the police and can be inaccurate and incomplete (I suspect that's more likely to be the case with the insurance database)

I think they rather like the tax disk as it's a physical piece of evidence that you've insurance and MOT - Even if that's not totally reliable either.

I suspect it's a bit of an emotional attachment after all if there's one thing the Police love it's paperwork!

[furrypusscat]

I taxed my vehicle online last week for renewal on 1st September and it arrived on Monday. If you don't leave it till the end of the month when the office isn't too busy you should receive it in plenty of time.

[lcg]

you have 5 days grace for displaying the actual disc and should be able to print out a copy of payment for your tax disc. the boy has done this for his motorbike yesterday....

[sherminator]

Cheers Jake! Seesm they should get their own house in order rather than chasing me an innocent person who unfortunately has a rubbish tax disc holder!

[furrypusscat]

Hi sherminator, there are two separate offences, 1. not having tax and
2. failing to display. You were obviously unfortunate to have allowed your disc to come off the screen. Lesson to be learned here is to get a new holder.

[Answerprancer]

I agree with Sherminator. Everything should be 'in the system'.
MOT is, insurance is, and they can both be checked instantly, why not road tax too ?
It makes me suspicious that it's just a 'hidden tax' scam designed to catch people out and cream off the revenue.

[dancecaller]

years ago the understanding (erroneus or not) was that they wouldn't 'do' you for 14 days.
We forgot to renew, (no reminders back then) and OH was stopped on the way to work (it was about 2 weeks into the month). Came home for his papers and rushed into town to get one at the main post office. But forgot to look at how long he could park in that space, and came back to find a ticket.
Ended up fined once for not having it (in the morning), then again for not displaying it (by the traffic warden, although he'd bought it by then), and a parking fine.
Grrr

[Mobius1]

Baldric - why do you wait until 23:30 on the eve of expiry before going online to renew your tax? I think now you can apply online for it as soon as you get the renewal notice. It used to be that the notice would instruct not to attempt to renew before the 15th day of the month of expiry, but I don't think that applies any more.

If you renew earlier it gives the overworked and under-invested Royal Mail snail mail delivery infrastructure time to get you your tax disc. The disc you receive is dated from the first day of the expiration of your last disc, irrespective of when you renew it. There is no benefit, aside from delaying your own payment to the last minute, of renewing it online last minute.

[neil_loves_marie]

when you pay online you get a receipt via e-mail, keep this e-mail to show its paid on way then if you get a funny copper that pulls you that has probably heard that story many times before you can at least log onto e-mails online and show the mail confirmation.