car tax online

[Pig Skill]

My RT is due on the summer car and just been online and taxed it for 6 months. The disc will take up to 5 days to arrive,

Am I legally allowed to drive it without displaying said disc as the car is taxed or do I have to wait?

Cheese

[Tumbler]

You have 14 days grace from purchase.

[jas xjr]

i have had the disc turn up the morning after i bought it online , so no problem there then .

you need to display the tax disc , not to is an offence , anpr would show your car as having tax .

[rigga]

Done my bike today and im gonna use it,technicly failure to display is an offence,though would be harsh to be done should you be stopped and have say the printed email confirmation as proof,the database should show it as taxed so anpr and the like should not flag it as untaxed.

[Tumbler]

In the 2012 budget changes were made as follows.

Tthe grace period in which car owners can drive their cars without displaying a tax disc, which stood at seven days. Was extended to 14 days, following the payment of tax.

So you are not committing any offence.

[Pig Skill]

Thanks for the replies my brothers

[mudster]

Only get the grace period if the tax runs from expiry of the old disc. If there's a break in tax, then no grace period applies.

As this is a summer only car, I'm guessing there's likely to be a break in the tax.

[Pig Skill]

Yep it was sorned throughout winter. Ill wait for the disc to land to be safe

[saaby93]

Tumbler said:

In the 2012 budget changes were made as follows.

Tthe grace period in which car owners can drive their cars without displaying a tax disc, which stood at seven days. Was extended to 14 days, following the payment of tax.

So you are not committing any offence.

Surely if that wording is correct it gives you a grace period for not displaying anything?
The grace period didnt apply to coming out of SORN does it now?

[Cat]

Tumbler said:

In the 2012 budget changes were made as follows.

Tthe grace period in which car owners can drive their cars without displaying a tax disc, which stood at seven days. Was extended to 14 days, following the payment of tax.

So you are not committing any offence.

Not quite, the 2012 budget announced that the change will be made, at this time the old grace period still applies which is 5 working days. The change will be included in the Finance Bill 2013.

saaby93 said:

The grace period didnt apply to coming out of SORN does it now?

The grace period does apply to vehicles being taken off SORN, however I look forward to you insisting that it doesn't and ignoring the evidence to the contrary.

Cat

[veryRS]

saaby93 said:

Surely if that wording is correct it gives you a grace period for not displaying anything?
The grace period didnt apply to coming out of SORN does it now?

Why would it not? Youve paid the relevant tax whether it was SORNd previously or not.

[saaby93]

veryRS said:

Why would it not? Youve paid the relevant tax whether it was SORNd previously or not.

I cant remember now and its a bit late now but I could have a look tomorrow

I thought it was a quirk of the SORN laws
If youre just retaxing youd already have the tax disc, so although it takes 5 days for a disc to come through you'd still have the old disc to display

At the time when SORN was only for tax youd have sent the tax back so wouldnt have a disc, so as I remember no grace you have to wait for the disc ( or you can get one from the PO)

If now you dont have to display anything for the 14 days that's quite a big jump

[veryRS]

saaby93 said:

I cant remember now and its a bit late now but I could have a look tomorrow

I thought it was a quirk of the SORN laws
If youre just retaxing youd already have the tax disc, so although it takes 5 days for a disc to come through you'd still have the old disc to display

At the time when SORN was only for tax youd have sent the tax back so wouldnt have a disc, so as I remember no grace you have to wait for the disc ( or you can get one from the PO)

If now you dont have to display anything for the 14 days that's quite a big jump

Just seemed a bit of a weird quirk to me...but then again this is the DVLA we are talking about. As you say though, if it's going to be 14 days grace for all that's a biggy.

[saaby93]

veryRS said:

Just seemed a bit of a weird quirk to me...but then again this is the DVLA we are talking about. As you say though, if it's going to be 14 days grace for all that's a biggy.

Again if I remember correctly, (most of the recent SORN discussion has been about insurance) the reason was they didnt want people driving around with no tax disc for 5 days, kind of messes up the system of making sure evryone has a disc.
If now there is this 14 day period i.e. half a month where you can drive around with no disc, it's not going to be easy to assess prosecution without using ANPR and we've the pitfalls of assuming that's accurate in other threads

[Cat]

saaby93 said:

veryRS said:

Why would it not? Youve paid the relevant tax whether it was SORNd previously or not.

I cant remember now and its a bit late now but I could have a look tomorrow

I thought it was a quirk of the SORN laws
If youre just retaxing youd already have the tax disc, so although it takes 5 days for a disc to come through you'd still have the old disc to display

At the time when SORN was only for tax youd have sent the tax back so wouldnt have a disc, so as I remember no grace you have to wait for the disc ( or you can get one from the PO)

If now you dont have to display anything for the 14 days that's quite a big jump

If you have applied for a new tax disc then there is no requirement to display the previous disc until the new one arrives.

Cat

[saaby93]

ok I did bother to check
It may be that I was wrong about SORN - depends how you read it
Direct gov says you have 5 days even for SORN but still need to display the old disc which will be tricky if youve sent it off!

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicl...

Displaying your tax disc said:

Your vehicle tax disc must be displayed on the passenger side (kerb side) of the vehicle’s windscreen. If there’s no windscreen or you have a motorcycle or sidecar, you should display the tax disc on the kerb side of the vehicle.

A current tax disc must be displayed on the vehicle it was bought for. If you buy a new tax disc before your current tax disc expires, you should not display the new one until the old one has expired. The new tax disc is only valid from the first day of the month you have taxed from. The maximum penalty for failure to display a current tax disc is £200. The tax disc can not be transferred between vehicles.

If you use the electronic vehicle licensing service or tax by post at the end of the month, there’s now an exemption for not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month to allow time for the new disc to arrive in the post. While you are still waiting for your tax disc you will need to display your current tax disc. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

I've had real world experience of this.

I renewed my tax online to start from the expiry of the old disc, so no gap.

I printed out the receipt that I was emailed and popped it in the glovebox.

Sod's law dictated that the day after the old disc ran out, I got sucked into one of those Police / Vosa roadside checks.

The expired disc was picked up immediately of course, so I brandished the receipt with a flourish. All smiles and I was let on my way.

The disc turned up the next day. As it happens I always tax online and it always seems to turn up in three days for me.

[Cat]

saaby93 said:

ok I did bother to check
It may be that I was wrong about SORN - depends how you read it
Direct gov says you have 5 days even for SORN but still need to display the old disc which will be tricky if youve sent it off!

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicl...

Displaying your tax disc said:

Your vehicle tax disc must be displayed on the passenger side (kerb side) of the vehicle’s windscreen. If there’s no windscreen or you have a motorcycle or sidecar, you should display the tax disc on the kerb side of the vehicle.

A current tax disc must be displayed on the vehicle it was bought for. If you buy a new tax disc before your current tax disc expires, you should not display the new one until the old one has expired. The new tax disc is only valid from the first day of the month you have taxed from. The maximum penalty for failure to display a current tax disc is £200. The tax disc can not be transferred between vehicles.

If you use the electronic vehicle licensing service or tax by post at the end of the month, there’s now an exemption for not displaying a tax disc. This exemption covers the first five working days of the month to allow time for the new disc to arrive in the post. While you are still waiting for your tax disc you will need to display your current tax disc. The exemption only applies if applications are made before the current tax disc or SORN expires.

Well done . Unfortunately DirectGov isn't the law.

s.33 VERA 1994 said:

A person is guilty of an offence if—
(a)he uses, or keeps, on a public road a vehicle in respect of which vehicle excise duty is chargeable, and
(b)there is not fixed to and exhibited on the vehicle in the manner prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State a licence for, or in respect of, the vehicle which is for the time being in force.

This was amended by

s.147 Finance Act 2008 said:

A person is not guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (1A) by using or keeping a vehicle on a public road during any of the 5 working days following the time when a licence or nil licence for the vehicle, or a relevant declaration applying to the vehicle, ceases to be in force, if an application for a licence or nil licence for or in respect of the vehicle to run from that time has been received before that time.

As you can see despite what the DirectGov website states, there is no requirement in law to display the old tax disc. You were indeed also wrong about the grace period not applying to SORN'd vehicles.

Cat

[Zeeky]

The following also appears under 'common questions' when you tax online.

I have not received the tax disc. Can I use the vehicle without the tax disc displayed?
When you apply for a tax disc online or by using DVLA's phone service you are able to legally continue to drive your vehicle for up to 5 days after the tax disc has expired while you wait for the new tax disc to arrive. This will only apply when you have applied for a new tax disc before the current one expires. You should continue to display the expired disc on your vehicle, until the new one arrives.




The legislation is somewhat different.



33.— Not exhibiting licence.

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—

(a) he uses, or keeps, on a public road a vehicle in respect of which vehicle excise duty is chargeable, and

(b) there is not fixed to and exhibited on the vehicle in the manner prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State a licence for, or in respect of, the vehicle which is for the time being in force.

(1B) A person is not guilty of an offence under subsection (1)... by using or keeping a vehicle on a public road during any of the 5 working days following the time when a licence ... for the vehicle, or a relevant declaration applying to the vehicle, ceases to be in force, if an application for a licence ... for or in respect of the vehicle to run from that time has been received before that time.

(1D) For the purposes of subsection (1B)–

(a) there is a relevant declaration applying to a vehicle if the particulars and declaration required to be furnished and made by regulations under section 22(1D) have been furnished and made in relation to the vehicle in accordance with the regulations, and

(b) the relevant declaration ceases to be in force if, after the particulars and declaration have been furnished and made–

(i) the vehicle is used or kept on a public road (otherwise than under a trade licence), or

(ii) the period of 12 months beginning with the day on which the particulars and declaration were furnished and made expires.




*****

So long as you apply for the tax before you put a SORNED vehicle on the road or before your tax runs out you have 5 working days from the tax running out or the first time you put the previously SORNED vehicle onto the road in which you are not required to display the tax disc. There is no legislative requirement to display the old disc.



The 5 working days is part of the legislation, not policy, so I am not sure why people refer to it as "grace".

[veryRS]

So basically as long as you've paid the tax (online) you can drive around without a tax disc in the window for up to 5 days (14 next year at some point ) regardless of the previous taxed status of the vehicle. Christ on a bike the government making
Ilife easier for the motorist in some small way. What will the greenies say?!