What
if I do not tax my vehicle
If
you are or become the registered keeper
of a vehicle, you must ensure that the vehicle
is licensed or a SORN declaration has been
made. If it is not, you could face a fine
and further penalties.
Under
the system of continuous registration
(CR), which commenced in January 2004,
it is not necessary for your vehicle
to be sighted on the public road for
an offence to have been committed. The
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
(DVLA) now has the authority to carry
out enforcement action against the registered
keeper directly from information held
on the vehicle licence records.
What
could happen
As
the registered keeper of an untaxed
vehicle, you could be fined a minimum
of £1000. In addition to this, you will
be required to purchase a tax disc,
pay arrears of vehicle tax accrued whilst
the vehicle was untaxed and pay a penalty
of £80. The maximum penalty for making
a false declaration by declaring SORN
when the vehicle is actually used or
kept on a public road is £5000 and two
years imprisonment.
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As
well as this, you could find your vehicle wheelclamped
by DVLA's wheelclamping contractor. You would be charged
a fee to have your vehicle released and you would also
have to produce a valid tax disc or surety fee. If you
did not pay this within 24 hours, DVLA would impound your
vehicle. If you did not pay the necessary release and
storage fees, DVLA would get rid of your vehicle, generally
by crushing it. Further information on DVLAs wheelclamping
scheme can be found on the link below.
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