Fixed penalty fine for not displaying tax disc

[Jimbo_78]

Hi there,

 

I have awoken this morning to discover Lothian and Borders Police have issued me with a fixed £60 fine for not correctly displaying my tax disc. I noticed earlier this week that the sticker had lost it's stick and put it back up yesterday and thought it was fine. I went out last night and woke up this morning to see fine on window and guessed what had happened before I opened it and sure enough my tax disc sticker has fallen out of sight.

 

I am dumbfounded as to how quicky the police have discovered this as I noticed it was up before I went out last night (intended to purchase new sticker today) don't know if a nasty neighbour may have reported it?

 

Surely as a law abiding tax paying citizen who has a valid tax disc I do not have to pay this fine? I am a student and can hardly justify paying for my car as it is never mind ridiculous fines like this.

 

Any help/advice would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike.

[sailor sam]

Unfortunately you appear to have answered your own question by confirming that the disc had 'fallen out of sight'. If the disc was not being dispayed correctly then the fine will be hard to challenge. The fact that someone has reported it is irrelevant. I freely admit to report cars being driven/parked on the road with tax discs signifitantly out of date or not displaying discs at all. However, with the latter, I do always check to see that the car in question is actually taxed via the DVLA webiste.

[Jimbo_78]

The fact the disc has dropped off and been reported in that period of time means I am not willing to accept this and will proceed to go to court as I think this is ridiculous.

[sailor sam]

The fact the disc has dropped off and been reported in that period of time means I am not willing to accept this and will proceed to go to court as I think this is ridiculous.

 

Well that's of course is your choice but I think you will find it a more expensive route to go down. Your disc was either displayed or not, which is how the court will see it.

[Jimbo_78]

Well hopefully it wouldn't go that far as they'd have more pressing issues to deal with in court; but living in broken Britain they may pursue it all the way and I'll pay even more but you can't bend over and take everything in life can you? I would have no issue paying parking fines, speeding fines or if my car was untaxed or uninsured but I feel this is too much to take in this instance. I'm sure you're probably right though.

[BazzaS]

The fact the disc has dropped off and been reported in that period of time means I am not willing to accept this and will proceed to go to court as I think this is ridiculous.

 

What do you expect from the court?.

If the offence is made out, how would you expect them to find?.

If they summonsed you for not haing a tax disc, then fight it if you had one. If they would summons you for not displaying a tax disc (regardless of if you possessed one) ......what is the line you will follow for 'defence in law', and how do you expect it to pan out?

[green_and_mean]

I would be slightly sympathetic if it had fallen off out of the blue but you knew the holder was faulty so you really have no one to blame but yourself.

[BryanG]

Hi there,

 

I have awoken this morning to discover Lothian and Borders Police have issued me with a fixed £60 fine for not correctly displaying my tax disc. I noticed earlier this week that the sticker had lost it's stick and put it back up yesterday and thought it was fine. I went out last night and woke up this morning to see fine on window and guessed what had happened before I opened it and sure enough my tax disc sticker has fallen out of sight.

 

I am dumbfounded as to how quicky the police have discovered this as I noticed it was up before I went out last night (intended to purchase new sticker today) don't know if a nasty neighbour may have reported it?

 

Surely as a law abiding tax paying citizen who has a valid tax disc I do not have to pay this fine? I am a student and can hardly justify paying for my car as it is never mind ridiculous fines like this.

 

Any help/advice would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike.

 

 

Hi Mike,

 

Did you contest it afterall? I have same issue here in Bristol and am considering contesting. The tax disc had fallen down because the tax disc holder, a magnetic disc I bought in a garage, was faulty. I didn't know it was faulty until it fell off the windsreen which was when I got the ticket. I guess strictly speaking I should ask the provider of the disc holder to refund my fine but I imagine that will be a hiding to nothing and anyway I can't remember where I bought it.

[sailor sam]

Hi Mike,

 

Did you contest it afterall? I have same issue here in Bristol and am considering contesting. The tax disc had fallen down because the tax disc holder, a magnetic disc I bought in a garage, was faulty. I didn't know it was faulty until it fell off the windsreen which was when I got the ticket. I guess strictly speaking I should ask the provider of the disc holder to refund my fine but I imagine that will be a hiding to nothing and anyway I can't remember where I bought it.

 

[pooky2483]

I do always check to see that the car in question is actually taxed via the DVLA webiste.

 

Why couldn’t the Police have done the same by either calling one of their 'special' numbers or calling it in to their station in the first place before issuing the ticket? Or is it a case of 'I cant see it, you ain’t got one'

[green_and_mean]

Why couldn’t the Police have done the same by either calling one of their 'special' numbers or calling it in to their station in the first place before issuing the ticket? Or is it a case of 'I cant see it, you ain’t got one'

 

The offence is not displaying, why would it matter if they had one or not?

[pooky2483]

The offence is not displaying, why would it matter if they had one or not?

Gotcya.

[scoobydoo1975]

whoz going to pay for car tax then intentionally not display it!if tax had run out then fair enough! He would have been being devious ,dont pay it!:-p

[scoobydoo1975]

i payed for a parking ticket at ncp ,and i put it on windscreen and shut door"it fell off"so when i got back to car i had a 40 fine,i contested it and didnt have to pay.dvla know wer we live anyway shunt av to display it?lol

Edited February 5, 2012 by scoobydoo1975

[crem]

whilst we could debate whether we should have to both PAY the VED and DISPLAY the said "tax disc", the fact remains that, currently, they are both requirements in law and just because you have purchased the tax disc does not absolve you from being liable to a fine or prosecution for not displaying it in your vehicle.