Caught with an Untaxed Vehicle ..

[Andrew--Stevenson]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help with this;

We purchased a new car in Nov. 2015, completely forgot to tax it when it came around to 1 year old (I know, silly silly boy). We had moved houses and were in the process of changing V5's, and didn't receive the tax reminder to the house we were living in.

We have all our cars paid via direct debit for Road tax, and don't try to beat the system, it was an honest mistake.

Received a fine for £85. Caught just shy of 2 months after tax due date - shall I just pay the darn fine or is there any way we can appeal for a reduction?

[mr alan]

I would just pay the fine, I think you got off lightly myself

[saaby93]

There's been a huge increase in the number of people being fined since they did away with the need for a tax disc to save the government money. It's working out better than expected

[Riley Blue]

On what grounds do you think you might qualify for a 'reduction'? You were caught fair and square, pay up.

[Sheepshanks]

It's not a fine.

[Alucidnation]

What is it then?

[rewc]

Alucidnation said:

What is it then?

The Government call it a fine. They even have a website to allow you to pay it.

https://www.gov.uk/pay-dvla-fine

[cmaguire]

mr alan said:

I would just pay the fine, I think you got off lightly myself

That's a sad indictment of the state of society if you actually think he 'got off lightly'
If there were any real justice nowadays they would just demand the backtax and a small admin fee if necessary (not £85). But then the State would need to move away from their default position that those 'caught' are all criminals with intent rather than people making honest mistakes. If a few 'with intent' get away with what are realistically minor transgressions in order that the genuine cases are afforded the decency they should be then I'm alright with that. It used to happen.

[brrapp]

Andrew--Stevenson said:

We have all our cars paid via direct debit for Road tax

If this is the case then DVLA have made the mistake in not applying the direct debit. Don't pay the 'fine', ask them to apply the direct debit that they have in place. If they do try to refer it to court they'll be laughed out of the building.

[mr alan]

cmaguire said:

mr alan said:

I would just pay the fine, I think you got off lightly myself

That's a sad indictment of the state of society if you actually think he 'got off lightly'
If there were any real justice nowadays they would just demand the backtax and a small admin fee if necessary (not £85). But then the State would need to move away from their default position that those 'caught' are all criminals with intent rather than people making honest mistakes. If a few 'with intent' get away with what are realistically minor transgressions in order that the genuine cases are afforded the decency they should be then I'm alright with that. It used to happen.

Let me clarify what I meant. By got off lightly I meant that I thought the fine would be far higher. Even if the op was being honest and there were circumstances which meant he didn't get the paperwork I honestly think that an £85 fine is quite low and would have expected it to be around the £200 plus back tax.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Andrew--Stevenson said:

shall I just pay the darn fine or is there any way we can appeal for a reduction?

Just send this letter template and you'll get a 50% reduction...

Dear DVLA,
I don't think I should pay the full amount of this fine because I genuinely forgot to check, and I'm a good person really.

Your sincerely,
[your name goes here - check birth certificate if unsure]

• may not actually work

[cmaguire]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

Just send this letter template and you'll get a 50% reduction...

Dear DVLA,
I don't think I should pay the full amount of this fine because I genuinely forgot to check, and I'm a good person really.

Your sincerely,
[your name goes here - check birth certificate if unsure]

• may not actually work

Maybe they have already offered him a 50% discount if he pays within 14 days. That seems to be common practice when the State are extorting money, they act like they are doing you a favour.

[Sheepshanks]

rewc said:

Alucidnation said:

What is it then?

The Government call it a fine. They even have a website to allow you to pay it.

https://www.gov.uk/pay-dvla-fine

Interesting. It does go on to refer to it correctly as a penalty though, and if you click through to the next page it changes from "Pay a DVLA fine" to "Pay a DVLA penalty".

Only a court can fine you.

[Jonno02]

Girlfriend has this. a £0 tax car. She didn't 'tax' it, so was fined. Utterly ridiculous. Stupid system should recognise if a car is £0 tax.

She paid up to make it go away.

[frankenstein12]

brrapp said:

Andrew--Stevenson said:

We have all our cars paid via direct debit for Road tax

If this is the case then DVLA have made the mistake in not applying the direct debit. Don't pay the 'fine', ask them to apply the direct debit that they have in place. If they do try to refer it to court they'll be laughed out of the building.

Dont waste your time. They WILL NOT remove the penalty. There is no formal appeals process nor is there an independent body to oversee the processes at the DVLA.

I have been through all this. Just pay the fine/fraudsters and move on with life and make damn sure that in future if you pay by direct debit you check any debit order to the DVLA has gone out every month and further more check here https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax to make sure your car shows as taxed each month.

I now check it every two or three weeks as I simply do not trust those criminals to not try scam me out of more money.

[frankenstein12]

Jonno02 said:

Girlfriend has this. a £0 tax car. She didn't 'tax' it, so was fined. Utterly ridiculous. Stupid system should recognise if a car is £0 tax.

She paid up to make it go away.

Its insane isnt it. You would have to put up with so much hassle and stress to try convince the thieves that its just easier to pay the fine.

[brrapp]

frankenstein12 said:

brrapp said:

Andrew--Stevenson said:

We have all our cars paid via direct debit for Road tax

If this is the case then DVLA have made the mistake in not applying the direct debit. Don't pay the 'fine', ask them to apply the direct debit that they have in place. If they do try to refer it to court they'll be laughed out of the building.

Dont waste your time. They WILL NOT remove the penalty. There is no formal appeals process nor is there an independent body to oversee the processes at the DVLA.

I have been through all this. Just pay the fine/fraudsters and move on with life and make damn sure that in future if you pay by direct debit you check any debit order to the DVLA has gone out every month and further more check here https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax to make sure your car shows as taxed each month.

I now check it every two or three weeks as I simply do not trust those criminals to not try scam me out of more money.

The DVLA can't fine you. They can only impose a penalty which you have every right to refuse to pay. If you refuse to pay a DVLA penalty, they can refer it to the courts which do have the right to fine you if you are found guilty of an offence. There is no way a court would find you guilty in this circumstance.

[KevinCamaroSS]

brrapp said:

The DVLA can't fine you. They can only impose a penalty which you have every right to refuse to pay. If you refuse to pay a DVLA penalty, they can refer it to the courts which do have the right to fine you if you are found guilty of an offence. There is no way a court would find you guilty in this circumstance.

From you earlier post I note you missed the key point. It was a new car. Therefore there was no direct debit in place. So, 'guilty as charged me lud'.

[HantsRat]

Jonno02 said:

Girlfriend has this. a £0 tax car. She didn't 'tax' it, so was fined. Utterly ridiculous. Stupid system should recognise if a car is £0 tax.

She paid up to make it go away.

It's called VED - Vehicle Excise Duty. It's effectively a licence. Even if the cost is £0, you still need to apply for the licence. The same as Police vehicles. They have to register them even though exempt from VED.

Your Girlfriend would've still been sent renewal letters. See: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-exempt-from-vehicle-tax

[Jonno02]

HantsRat said:

It's called VED - Vehicle Excise Duty. It's effectively a licence. Even if the cost is £0, you still need to apply for the licence. The same as Police vehicles. They have to register them even though exempt from VED.

Your Girlfriend would've still been sent renewal letters. See: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-exempt-from-vehicle-tax

It's the most basic sense, it's still a tax. It's a tax to use your car.