Taxing A Car For One Day.

[as400]

Must admit being a 3 car house the old Z despite being loved doesn't get out that much.

Generally its out on a dry sunny day, roof down, quick wizz around Arundel then off to my favourite country pub for a slow pint and browse of any magazine/newspaper I can find.

Would this work?...tax the car, set up a DD for monthly, get my email to confirm, do my drive then cancel and re-sorn.

Would they still try and take a months payment?...

 

[t-tony]

Would you?

Tony.

 

[as400]

This has been posted on Pistonheads also...seems a few others have had luck..

"No, the DD will take 2-3 working days minimum to appear against your account before they can even attempt to take money, and that takes at least another couple of working days. You can easily just cancel it and get a couple of weeks or more.
Keep the email saying you've just taxed it for the very unlikely event you get stopped, it won't show on their system straight away."


"I have done this a few times, have taxed a car for up to a few days near the end of the month then cancelled at the end to avoid paying for the next month and found I've not been charged at all.
I feel like 1 day there will be an audit and dvla will come after me for the missing charges but they haven't so far!"

 

[Pond]

Must admit being a 3 car house the old Z despite being loved doesn't get out that much.

Generally its out on a dry sunny day, roof down, quick wizz around Arundel then off to my favourite country pub for a slow pint and browse of any magazine/newspaper I can find.

Would this work?...tax the car, set up a DD for monthly, get my email to confirm, do my drive then cancel and re-sorn.

Would they still try and take a months payment?...

By doing the above you are, strictly speaking, committing fraud. It is more illegal than not taxing the car at all. So why not just take the risk of not taxing it, rather than consciously being fraudulent?
Being caught for no tax (or driving a SORNed car) is a fixed penalty fine and a civil offence. Actively committing fraud is a criminal offence.

 

[Duncodin]

By doing the above you are, strictly speaking, committing fraud. It is more illegal than not taxing the car at all. So why not just take the risk of not taxing it, rather than consciously being fraudulent?
Being caught for no tax (or driving a SORNed car) is a fixed penalty fine and a civil offence. Actively committing fraud is a criminal offence.

How big, or small, is that fixed penalty notice?

Don't insurance policies have a clause saying the policy isn't valid if the car is driven without tax or mot.

So you'd be driving without insurance which is another offence. Or maybe it isn't.

 

[as400]

How big, or small, is that fixed penalty notice?

Don't insurance policies have a clause saying the policy isn't valid if the car is driven without tax or mot.

So you'd be driving without insurance which is another offence. Or maybe it isn't.

No I wouldn't drive without valid insurance.

 

[Pond]

How big, or small, is that fixed penalty notice?

Don't insurance policies have a clause saying the policy isn't valid if the car is driven without tax or mot.

So you'd be driving without insurance which is another offence. Or maybe it isn't.

No idea of the fine.
I have watched hundreds of 'police interceptor' type progs on the TV and they seem to only deal with the offences committed.
I.E; if someone has valid insurance but no tax, they only deal with the tax offence and vice versa. I was under the impression that the insurance would be 'legal' but any claim would be thrown out if the claimant had no valid tax, or MOT, or either as the vehicle needs to be 'roadworthy'.

 

[SV8Predator]

Don't insurance policies have a clause saying the policy isn't valid if the car is driven without tax or mot.

Never seen that (or even heard of it), but check yours, and get back to us.

 

[RickyBobby]

Appreciate it's not related to the initial question but can anybody explain to me how the DVLA can justify taking money off a new buyer when the seller has already paid tax for the current month? I'd love to know the revenue that approach generates for them and for me it is tantamount to fraud

 

[SV8Predator]

explain to me how the DVLA can justify taking money off a new buyer when the seller has already paid tax for the current month?

It's automatic and down to the software. As soon as a "new keeper" is registered, the current road tax is cancelled.

Any remaining tax paid for by the seller is refunded. Not sure how that can be perceived as "fraudulent"?

 

[RickyBobby]

It's automatic and down to the software. As soon as a "new keeper" is registered, the current road tax is cancelled.

Any remaining tax paid for by the seller is refunded. Not sure how that can be perceived as "fraudulent"?

Unfortunately claiming its down to the software is no way a justification for the approach and they only refund full months i.e. the balance associated with the current month is nor refunded.

 

[Dxbolton]

As an aside, I bought my last zed on the first of the month. The seller declared SORN on the last day of the month so he didn’t have to tax the car for one day.
PROBLEM. After declaring sorn you can’t tax a car online for 5 days. I could not tax at a post office as it was a bank holiday weekend.
so I drove 4 hours home untaxed, I did tax after 5 days and that starts from the first of the month, so back dated.
no idea what would have happened if I’d been stopped as it was impossible to tax the car online.
why dvla can’t charge on a daily basis when buying / selling is beyond me, but must earn them thousands in revenue

 

[t-tony]

So, you can't "back date" an MOT certificate, but the Gov. can back date road Tax?

Tony.

 

[Pond]

Unfortunately claiming its down to the software is no way a justification for the approach and they only refund full months i.e. the balance associated with the current month is nor refunded.

It was a genius way of getting more RFL revenue when they changed the rules a few years back IMO.
It isn't fraudulent, as if you time it right you don't pay any extra (nor does the other party). The timing does have to be the last/ first day of the month, though.
I can see why you are aggrieved, but if you buy and sell cars more often than most people change their underwear, it's gonna cost ya (unless you buy and sell each one on the last and first day of the any month)!

 

[Pond]

but the Gov. can back date road Tax?

I suppose it could be seen like that but it wasn't intended. Just that tax runs from the first of the month to the last day of the month. If people choose to tax a vehicle on any other day they will pay from the first. We all have a choice.

The DVLA are also extremely quick at refunding any full months; usually 2-3 working days IME. Each is sent via first class post so with a stamp costing about £20, they ain't making much extra. Only problem is they still send the refunds by cheque (remember those?) and as all the banks have no branches anymore, it can be tricky paying it in!

 

[Duncodin]

Ford dealership down the road. They must sell quite a few cars coz as we get nearer the end of the month the number of new cars stacked outside increases. People just don't want the car they paid an arm and a leg for any earlier than the 1st of the following month.

 

[t-tony]

Always been the case in the motor trade.

Tony.

 

[Duncodin]

I don't change my car that often so it's quite an exiting event. Bit like christmas morning as a kid.

Last one was couple years ago in the middle of covid - got the train from south wales up to shrewsbury to the MB dealership. Spent the night in a hotel so I could get the to the dealership bright and early the morning of the pickup. 15th of the month I think it was.

Last thing on my mind was saving a few quid on the road tax.

and it wasn't even a new car!!

 

[RickyBobby]

It just winds me up that in the month of transfer the DVLA get double bubble especially when you think back to the old tax disc based system - back then the tax could be transferred with the car.

These day's the car is classed as untaxed on the day its sold. Which means with ANPR enforcement driving it home on the day of purchase without the necessary tax in place can result in an automatic fine.

What amazes me is that despite technological advances and the ability to accommodate online or direct debit payments (for a small fee) any refunds are still facilitated by cheque. Fortunately my online banking does allow me to deposit cheques via the app otherwise I probably wouldn't bother which I suspect a lot of people don't further contributing to the DVLAs coffers.

 

[Fender2004]

It just winds me up that in the month of transfer the DVLA get double bubble especially when you think back to the old tax disc based system - back then the tax could be transferred with the car.

These day's the car is classed as untaxed on the day its sold. Which means with ANPR enforcement driving it home on the day of purchase without the necessary tax in place can result in an automatic fine.

What amazes me is that despite technological advances and the ability to accommodate online or direct debit payments (for a small fee) any refunds are still facilitated by cheque. Fortunately my online banking does allow me to deposit cheques via the app otherwise I probably wouldn't bother which I suspect a lot of people don't further contributing to the DVLAs coffers.

I pay my road tax by direct debit and I was late on putting the car on sorn, with only a few days till the change of month. Although I did pay the following month road tax, it was refunded to my bank account within about 10 days, so no cheque needed in the post at all.