tax question

[joeSRI]

Is it illegal to drive without a tax disc but has been paid for and in the post?

[belmonty_daryl]

you are allowed to drive for 5 days after the tax has run out to allow it to arrive in post

[Lynsey]

I think the offence is not displaying a valid tax disc.

[draper]

I think the offence is not displaying a valid tax disc.

correct, £200 fine iirc

[Southie]

Since 1 September 2008, you can legally drive or keep your vehicle on the road up to five days from the end of the month without displaying a valid tax disc provided you have made your application online or by telephone before your current vehicle tax/SORN expires. :thumb:

[draper]

i stand corrected then - being sober sucks lol

[Ben]

considering its the 14th of january think the 5 day rule has passed!

[Southie]

i stand corrected then - being sober sucks lol
http://k43.pbase.com/u22/johnsgallery/upload/20583285.beer.gif

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_7uS4zai4aWU/SP7Pc6me3CI/AAAAAAAABB4/qezpzgaaCv4/s400/Beer.gif

[Jack]

NBC, have you got a government-written link that states the same? Instead of some dodgy internet lawyer site lol


Road Vehicles (Regulations and Licensing) Act 2002:

Exhibition of vehicle and nil licences
6. - (1) When a vehicle licence or nil licence has been delivered to the Secretary of State with an application for a replacement licence, no licence need be fixed to and exhibited on the vehicle to which the licence relates until the replacement licence is obtained.
By the letter of the law (and that ^ is the law), so long as your application for a replacement licence has been delivered to the secretary of state, you're Ok. We assume that an electronic transaction, as long as it has completed successfully, is instant delivery. Therefore section 6 applies.

The only question I had before was the wording, but reading the whole act I understand that "replacement" effectively means "renewal".

So yes, so long as you have applied - online, successfully - for a tax disc, you can drive the vehicle without displaying one.

Up to you if you want to test the mettle of the local fuzz though, we all know they have their own "interpretations" of the law :roll:

[joeSRI]

Thanks!

[Stuart]

on the direct.gov site I read that if you are coming off SORN then you cant drive without one, but they only seem to advise not to drive if simply renewing.... I've ignored that most years lol

[liam944nova]

you will be fine as police would do a vehicle check and as long as you have applied on-line etc. it would come up as taxed as most police dont even check the window anymore if your stopped.

[L14MNP]

If you have applied for it and it hasn't yet arrived, drive the vehicle anyway IMO. It will show up on most databases, if not all as being taxed.

If a bored copper spots you're not displaying it, you will get a 14 day 'rectification notice' IME. By which time you will have the disc to show them.

This also works if you have bought a car minus MOT/tax and are keeping it on the road. Remove the tax disc from a road legal car, stick it in the illegal one and as long as they don't check it in depth they assume the illegal car is taxed and the legal one isn't.

This then gives you time to get the illegal car MOT'd and the present then tax disc for the legal one claiming it fell off the windscreen due to the heat. (May not work this time of year.) lol