Motoring Discussion > Displaying tax disc in advance of start date	Legal Questions
Thread Author: hjd	Replies: 23

New Sat 31 Jul 10 21:44   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - hjd

Tax disc runs out 31/7/10. New one purchased to start from 1/8/10. If the new disc is put on the car on 31/7/10, is that an offence? (Old tax disc will still be in the car). The reason I ask is that my son has just gone out and will be staying overnight with a friend. He put the new disc on before he left, rather than leave the car on the road overnight with the old disc, but I was just wondering what the law was if he were to be stopped before midnight. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 21:50   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Zero

he wil be fine. ANPR or a DVLA check will confirm he is taxed. Last edited by: Zero on Sat 31 Jul 10 at 21:50 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 21:56   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - hjd

Thanks! Being a 17yo boy I suspect he is in one of the prime groups to attract police attention. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 21:59   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Zero

I know where you are coming from, my lad has driven since 17, (now nearly 21) and I have done my upmost to keep him legaly squeaky clean, and he has passed numerous "pulls", none of them triggered by ANPR due to my monitoring of his "paperwork" Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 22:03   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - BiggerBadderDave

"my lad has driven since 17, (now nearly 21)" Don't think it's going to end any time soon either. I still get my dad to sort out my paperwork and I'm 41. Dads are great. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 22:01   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Fullchat

Strictly speaking it would be an offence of "Failing to Display an Excise Licence" until midnight but it is really at the very bottom of a very long list. I have not known it proceeded with for many a year. Keep the old one to hand. Shows a degree of responsibility. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 22:26   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - CGNorwich

Technically you should not display the new disc until the old one has expired. If you son bought the new tax on line he as a five day exemption before it needs to be displayed. The old tax disc should be displayed during this exemption period. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 22:50   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - henry k

>Technically you should not display the new disc until the old one has expired. >> Do you really mean that and if so where does it say that? I have always done the following. It is not rocket science.. it is a bit of sellotape to stick the new disk on the screen near the old one then no worries :-) No need to remember swopping over at midnight in the dark and eventually I remember to remove the old one and at the same time pop the new one it its holder. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 22:59   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - CGNorwich

from the Direct.gov site "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. www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10021514 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 31 Jul 10 23:35   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - henry k

CGN Thanks for that. The only problem is, when I try to access the link, I get a response from Firefox " Untrusted Connection" and " If you usually connect to this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn't continue." :-). I am still amazed that I should not display the new disk alongside the old one. I would love to know the logic behind that ruling. My sellotape method will still be used and I will take a risk of a ???? penalty as it says you "should not" rather than must not. :-(. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 00:11   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Ted

Many years ago I had re-taxed the transporter. I hadn't had time to swap discs and left the old one on well into the expired period. I had however, placed the new disc against the screen a little bit towards the middle and wedged it with a rag. I went out on a job in the service van and the truck was left outside the house. When I got home SWMBO told me that an angry policeman on a horse had ridden down the path and shouted at her through the back door to ' Get it taxed ' ! She didn't know it was taxed and I got a ear-bashing when I got home . First time we've ever had a horse in the garden ! Pity it didn't have a poo...I could have treated me roses ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 07:46   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Cliff Pope

In about 10 years time DVLA will work out that it makes much more sense if the new tax disc automatically incorporated any unexpired portion of the previous one, so became valid immediately. Banks used to do the same with debit and credit cards, having a precise moment of change-over from the old card to the new one. Tricky if you were buying online or paying for petrol at midnight. Now they overlap expiry/start dates so the problem has gone. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 09:02   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Oldgit

Well, I never! I have always bought my tax discs as soon as I they were available and have always displayed them on the day that they were purchased. Last month, now, I received my renewal reminder shortly after July 10th and the form said that the new discs could be purchased from the 5th July. As usualy I immediately went to the Post Office and got my new disc and replace my expiration disc (July 31st) with the new one. Have always done that and always shall. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 10:08   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Bellboy

and wedged it with a rag. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>i did that for donks in me trucks then one day found one of those go faster cases the kids max their cars with and now my tax disc always looks posh Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 12:26   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Iffy

...found one of those go faster cases the kids max their cars with and now my tax disc always looks posh... A few years ago the DVLA sent out tamper proof holders with new tax discs. I didn't use mine, but I think the idea was it could not be removed from the screen without ripping the tax disc, thereby making it impossible to steal a disc in one piece. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 12:22   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Stuartli

>>Do you really mean that and if so where does it say that?>> It is perfectly correct. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 13:25   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Ted

The rag system has been discontinued here now. We're a lot more sophisticated, having moved on to masking tape. I have a rather nice original holder in the Jowett. An aluminium holder is stuck to the screen and the disc is held in with a bakelite insert held with a large spring clip. The name of the supplying dealer is in the middle together with the Jowett logo and the holder also contains circular discs with the service records on. The milage is visible through the insert. Well, it's either that or the tape ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 17:03   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Fullchat

"Do you really mean that and if so where does it say that?" Section 33 of the Vehicles Excise and Registration Act 1994: 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. Some one has alluded to 5 days grace. Wikipedia mentions it but I don't think that is true. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 17:44   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - henry k

Fullchat. Thanks for that, nice to see the details of the act. I seem to be legal. I suspect the www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10021514 is just sloppy wording. What I think it is trying to say is do not discard ( from display) your not quite expired tax disk and replace it with the following one year /six months tax disk because then you will fall foul of the act. The same site says "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. So just to add. I can drive with an out of date tax disc displayed but I should not drive with two tax disks displayed. I need another cuppa tea. . Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 21:42   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Zero

Doesent matter now, the OP's son is now fully legal with respect to display. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 1 Aug 10 23:28   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Fullchat

Indeed. Nail biting time though :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 2 Aug 10 17:57   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Marc

"Well, I never! I have always bought my tax discs as soon as I they were available and have always displayed them on the day that they were purchased. Last month, now, I received my renewal reminder shortly after July 10th and the form said that the new discs could be purchased from the 5th July. As usualy I immediately went to the Post Office and got my new disc and replace my expiration disc (July 31st) with the new one" I'm the same as you Oldgit except I get mine online these days. You learn something new everyday. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 3 Aug 10 06:58   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - L'escargot

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10021514 >> is just sloppy wording. What it says under "displaying your tax disc" looks clear enough to me and seems to cover all circumstances. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 3 Aug 10 19:32   Displaying tax disc in advance of start date - Fullchat

".....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....." Well you learn something everyday! Goalpost keep changing. Prior to on line taxing Used to be 14 days grace. Then no grace period. Now with the introduction of on line taxing 5 days grace. Cant keep up :-( Last edited by: Fullchat on Tue 3 Aug 10 at 19:32 Reply to this message | Report message