RJMS

iTrader: (2)

Just had a nice letter from my local DVLA office telling me that as I had not renewed SORN on a car that has been sitting on my drive for four years I was now liable to a fine of £80 (£40 if paid promptly). The interesting thing is apparently not having received a reminder from them is not a defence

I had not had a reminder and wonder how many other people have similarly not had one and are therefore heading for this new motoring tax. If you have a SORNed vehicle I would check now, DO NOT rely on them to send you a reminder.

Funniliy enough according to the letter I also had to pay arrears duty of £30.84, I rang up to query this and was told it was "optional" in the circumstances - I choose not to pay it

FlightMan

You're a motorist. They hate you. Pay up and stop whining.

Edited to say that's Govt opinion, not mine. Get the car on a low loader and dump it on their doorstep.

P1Fanatic

The fine sucks tbh but you can see their point. Anyone could say I didnt get the reminder to get out of it. Unless they start sending them by recorded delivery they cant change that and a) thats more cost (and we know who will pay that) and b) That isnt foolproof as anyone at address can sign for it.

At the end of the day its not that hard to remember to TAX / SORN a car once a year is it? I just add mine to a list of dates for my car inc service, mot etc.

Simon

Luan Pra bang

I just ignore all of those letters or deny having ever owned the car and in the end they give up.

Shark Man

Tell me about it; I have five bikes on Sorn...forget...and its pay up please. Esepcailly when most are old enough to be tax exempt anyway.

Drives me mad as they are all different dates; why can't they have a facility so everything can be due at the same time - would certainly save having to keep checks on my organiser.

As if its not a Sorn due, its an MOT on one of the cars, or the insurance, or the road tax. Not one month goes by where I don't have to do something clerical relating to a motor vehicle

r32

You should be able to inform them that its off the road until I tell you different.

Leslie

I don't think its so much that they hate you, but that they love your money!

Les

RJMS

iTrader: (2)

That would be far too sensible and deprive them of the fine income. Perhaps a good start would be a system that didn't "forget" to send out reminders, I wonder if it's just a random selection they omit to send each month to avoid arising too much suspicion of their new tax (I am 100% convinced I didn't get a reminder)

Spyder550

Like you say sensible would just be to ditch the VED system and just charge more on fuel. Ignoring the how much we are currently being taxed for fuel, as a concept it seems fairer just to charge on fuel. Least then the nice folk who drive around without VED can't avoid paying it. If you are a Pensioner who does a few hundred or thousand miles a year that's what you pay for, if your a Rep that does lot that's what you pay for.

StickyMicky

ummm, you forgot to sorn it for 4 years?

Spyder550

From the BBC today
BBC NEWS | UK | Road pricing 'should be assessed'

"Lost revenue

The committee recognised that the DfT had made progress in addressing its major objectives, however it said the general picture was disappointing.

It found MPs were "deeply disappointed" by the abandonment of the lorry road-user charging scheme proposed in 2002.

The report found that MPs wanted the scheme to be introduced as soon as possible to ensure foreign hauliers began contributing toward the costs of maintaining the UK road network.

The report details how the evasion rate for vehicle excise duty rose from 3.6% in 2005/06 to 5% in 2006/07.

It is now costs the government some £214m in lost revenue.

The committee said it wanted the government to reinstate targets for reducing the size of this group of "illicit road-users", which were dropped in March 2007. "

What they worried about, from what I heard they are getting another £150 million a week from VAT since fuel has gone up

RJMS

iTrader: (2)

No, just did not get a reminder this year, no problems previously, the clue is in the word "renewed"

Diesel

That sounds like a reasonable point. However the true reasonable point is that you shouldn't be deemed guilty and fined for not actually doing anything!!! Where the f is the presumption of innocent till proven guilty gone? It is COMPLETELY wrong to assume you are using an untaxed car on the road if you don't actively send them a bit of paper to suggest that you don't.

Another example of simplistic, punitive, cash driven government logic. Those that actually WANT to drive untaxed may feel they have a greater chance of getting away with it now and having sent a SORN, whilst those that have no intention of doing so get fined for keeping our vehicles in garages.

Its an **** backward system and another erosion of the ciitizen's rights in my view. This is especially so as we are being snooped on by ANPR that can actively pick out these road fund licence rogues ("road fund" - try saying that with a straight face!)

D

c_maguire

Exactly.

But you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that your fine, although small, when added to all the other indiscriminate fines this government levy for all manner of newly created criminal transgressions will in fact give rise to a massive pile of readies. This can then be used to feed our increasingly hungry social welfare system, some scrounger somewhere might have you to thank for next months Sky subscription.
Kevin

StickyMicky

thats better

i was thinking you were a bit of a tool, but now i see its a genuine mistake

my bad

AllanB

Just email me them monthly chasing SORN paperwork then they cannot touch you as you will have the emails to proove it. Done that and it worked


AllanB