Tax Disc

[marje]

Hi, hope someone can help me with this question.

I am going on holiday soon and would like to park my car in the long stay car park. My tax disc runs out before I come back though, so I wondered if it would be okay to display both my tax discs at the same time.

Is the car park considered to be private property? If so I suppose I could just keep the current disc displayed until I get back and then put the new one in before I set off for home.

Anyone have any knowledge of this?

TIA

[baza]

you can display the new tax disc as soon as you get it.

[gingejbee]

...and you can get it up to 14 days before due date...

[ummmm]

Like baza says just display the new one.

[Buenchico]

Some councils used to have a condition that (in order to avoid a penalty for incorrect parking) a valid tax disc needed to be displayed on any vehicles on their pay-&-display car parks. However a court has ruled such a condition to be unlawful, so it would seem unlikely that the car park operator could take any action in respect of an out-of-date tax disc. (While publicly accessible car parks are regarded as 'public places' for the purposes of some motoring legislation - such as 'dangerous driving' offences - they are regarded as 'private property' in regard to the display of tax discs).

However if you've got your new tax disc before you go, you can display it as soon as it's in your possession. Tax discs don't have a 'start' date on them; they only declare that they're valid up until a specific 'end' date. So, for example, if your tax expires at the end of this month (and you've received the renewal form) you can go out and buy a new tax disc today and put that disc onto your vehicle straight away. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to do so.

Chris

[dustypuss]

display the new tax disc and the old disc at the same time.

[marje]

That's brilliant news. Thanks to you all.

Ordered tax disc online so should be here this week. I'll display it before I go on holiday.

Thanks for your answer Chris, most informative.

[Hopkirk]

Having worked in a long stay car park, I can confirm that there is no need to display a current tax disc in the car park.

However I am sorry to report that this is another of those few occasions when Chris is incorrect.

Technically you cannot legally replace the old one with the new one until the old one expires, when the car is on a public road.

You almost certainly won't get any problem if you do, because of the way tax is checked these days, but that is what the law says. The safest thing to do is have both visible until the old one expires.

[chrissa1]

I agree with Chris, Hopkirk. I got my new tax disc on the 25th May and displayed it straightaway. Why on earth would I wait until the 31st May to display it?

I have bought it to cover me until November, end of story.

[shoota]

A tax disc has a validity of 12 months or six months, it bears a termination date but no start date. Therefore it is valid for the 6 or 12 months prior to its termination.
If you drive prior to thet date you are not displaying a valid tax disc.

[shoota]

Display your tax disc

You must display a tax disc on the passenger side (kerb side) of the vehicle’s windscreen. If there’s no windscreen or you have a motorcycle or sidecar, you should display the tax disc on the kerb side of the vehicle.

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 cannot be transferred between vehicles.

If you use the postal licensing service 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 new 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.

[shoota]

Should have said the above is from 'nidirect government services' website.