Uk road tax who needs it!!!
 

Hi guys just a quicky
going away for 12 months so do i need to keep road tax on the 4x4 whilst im away as it will have run out by the time we return and besides we all hate paying it so why should i ????

Theoretically I see no reason why you should have to. However, you'll have to get a 'Statutory Off Road Notice' or SORN for the vehicle to avoid an automatic fine. Just take your old tax disc along with V25 into post office, obtain a refund for the left over time on your tax disc and get your car 'sorned'. (and hope you don't get nicked between your house and the ferry!) I've never done this myself but I'd guess theres no reason why you shouldn't.
Matt

The road tax refund covers unexpired months only so I guess you are covered up to the end of the month anyway. I suppose you might get done for not displaying a valid tax disc, but since the boys in blue have ANPR a check should show your vehicle is taxed on the computer system. Best keep copies of the documents - I think they would be lenient but that's just personal opinion.
Les

I seem to remember a similar thread a couple of months ago, the problem there was being away from the UK for over a year, seems you can only declare SORN for 12 months, so if you are away after the first 12 month period of SORN, you may get fined in your absence. Has anyone found an answer to this ?

How about telling DVLA that you will be out of the country with the vehicle for over a year and get some written documents off them to provide you with a temporary tax disc till you leave the uk. When you re-enter I do not think a court in the land would convict you if you had just got off a ferry and MOT and taxed your vehicle as soon as Practicable as they say in the legal system.

I filled in the "exported" section of the logbook and posted it off when I left the UK because I knew it was going to be more than a year. Dunno if I'm going to get stiffed when I get back in 10 days though...


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Simon

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fitzpatrick

Technically, your UK registered vehicle is only legal when abroad if it is road legal in the UK. ie MOT'd, taxed and insured. This is certainly the case in Europe. I doubt very much if a foreign police force would be interested in your road tax but it may be an issue if you have an accident and your insurance company use it as an excuse to avoid paying out. Having said that I'd probably be along with you taking the risk anyway. By the way you can now declare SORN or retax your vehicle via the DVLA website.
And no I don't know how you would comply with the law if your MOT runs out when you are half-way round the world!

On the MOT.

I've enquired here in Australia - they said over the phone (took some time to get the answer);
Have the vehicle inspected by someone who normally does that function in that country
Post it to us (have it interperted if it is not in English) together with the fees due and a covering letter.

Seems reasonable. Probably a good idea to take a blank inspection form with you - so the person doing the inspection has an idea of what would be required in your country? Maybe get them to fill out both their form and yours?

I'm planning on leaving for well over a year. When I return. I don't expect my vehicle will pass an MOT....

UK law, as I understand it, allows you to drive without MOT / tax if you have an arranged MOT at a garage. So maybe the answer is to book an MOT in the UK from France or wherever and drive there straight from the ferry! You'd certainly have plenty to chat about with the mechanic while you waited...

[This message has been edited by danielsprague (edited 20 February 2006).]

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Andy.
You are still leaving yourself open to an automatic fine for not either renewing your road fund licence on time or declaring the vehicle off-road. There appears to be no dialogue over this, if your vehicle comes up on the database for not being either taxed or declared off-road a fixed penalty notice is automatically sent to the registered keeper. You can renew your road tax over the internet if you have the new computerised MOT. It means the tax disc will be sent to your home, but at least you're covered from being fined for avoiding the tax.
It used to be that you had to do something against the law to commit an offence. Now you can be made a criminal just by doing nothing.

[This message has been edited by harleyrider (edited 26 February 2006).]

hmm, yes good point, maybe the answer is to get it on the internet while you are away. then your only offence is not displaying a tax disc, which under the circumstances you would probably get away with.

Andy

I've just read some rules regarding declaring a vehicle off the road (SORN), which states that... 'you should not declare SORN if the vehicle is being temporarily exported'. Usefully however, they do not suggest what to do under these circumstances. No doubt it will involve some forking out of tax...

The alternative is to declare the vehicle as exported , however you are then supposed to import it to another country which is probably not very practical on a round the world tour. I wonder what would happen if you declared your bike exported, but never competed an import and then returned with it to the UK a couple of years later and tried to re-register it. I guess you would be illegal as soon as you rode off the ferry.

Maybe it would be easier to export your bike to France ? I have mine registered in france, as I only use it in the summer and keep it there. There is no MOT for motorcycles in france which removes that worry. you would of course have to insure it in France, and that is what I do.. probably outside of the eec you would need 'auxilary' insurance.

Also there is no road tax in france for cars or bikes http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

wish there was an edit function here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/frown.gif

I pay 86 euros a year for my 1985 bmw R80RT third party only, plus medical cover for self and passenger. ( MAF insurance co. )

with the depriciation etc, I would have thought it best to get shot of it...

There is: above your crying smilie the 3rd icon from the left.

Dunno why your Beemer is so cheap to insure. My DR650 is insured in France and @ 54% I'm paying 300€/year, TP only. Mutuelle des Motards, but on the Riviera, where all drivers are crazy...

France sounds good to me also, given no MOT or road tax or any other annual check other than insurance. I'm also fortunate enough to be able to register a vehicle in France and I'm thinking of transferring my BMW to French registration since it's been sat in our house over there since last September and it's sorn in the UK. However I guess it's rather difficult to register a vehicle in France unless you've got an address over there.
As regards insurance, we pay around 90 euros a year for our 2cv van.

As a UK citizen you have the right to live in France, so no problem. We rented a room in a tourist hotel for a month and reception did us a paper stating we lived there.

In the Departement Alpes Maritimes at least you don't even need proof of residence. When you fill in the rego form you are at the same time signing an affidavit as to your address. It doesn't say anywhere how long you have to live there. For the insurance, however, you need an address where you can receive mail.

You can even register a vehicle by mail. I have done it.

I don't know whether it is the same in other departements...

reply to beddist
thanks for teh edit info.
no idea re the price was quoted about £100 in uk tpft (for Cornwall) the bike is old.. 1985 and not a sport bike... i do live in a rural area Deux Sevres...

I returned to the UK with my uk registered bike after being away for a year - the tax was 7 months overdue...the post office didnt bat an eyelid when I applied for a new license, I told them why it was absent from tax and they were happy.

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http://colesyboy.tripod.com

How long ago was that?