To have reported neighbour

[RinkyDinkyDoo]

Tax disc on his second car, they have a main car and a works van, ran out at the end of January.
This car is mainly parked on the road, as is the van and other car, they have room on their drive for one car,but don't use it.
I have now seen him driving the car with out of date tax 4 times now. I reported him on the DVLA website this afternoon.

[Troglodad]

"Not reporting crime" is actually not in itself inherently a bad thing if there is a problem that can be fixed with no harm done, it may be part of a little thing called discretion.

When you have discretion and apply it, you talk to your neighbour instead of trying to get them fined, or their car scrapped and potentially ruin their life just for the fun of it, and you have a country that does not have 1 in 3 people sporting a criminal record.

Plus look at the state and law we have, that murders people all over the place, police that run the hell away when people are in real danger, law that has abolished the need to prove guilt before imprisoning people, and doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. I have always been a very conservative, law-abiding person but (like most people I know) I can't consider the state a benchmark of moral judgment any longer. The only people you see who are still on an uber-statist these days are frankly loopy people who are completely out of touch.

[ThefutureMrsTatum]

OP , as bear correctly pointed out earlier, the letter from the DVLA is by no means anonymous, and the assumption that all the website asks for is the car reg and the postcode is very telling. The letter states the date and time reported and the road location. Within a few minutes and using a process of eliminationn by which neighbours he knows walks past or has site of his tax disc, and those that are around at that time of day, he will be easily able to single you out, particularly ifhe has noticed your "I dont really like him" attitude. Karma is a bitch but so are nighbours who have been grassed on. I would be prepared for a few nails in the tyres, but hope it was worth the quick leg over and boast!
not sure what you wanted to gain from this thread? A pat on the back and a well aren't you a good citizen. As I. Stated last night they could be having family and/or financial problems that you don't know about, and you may have just added unecessary crap to the pile.

[MistressDeeCee]

It takes more than just following the law to be a decent person

Exactly, Nnnnnnn

I think the OP sounds as if she's gloating regarding getting her neighbour into trouble, and I find that distasteful.

[Adeleh]

Laughing at idea that if we're not zealously reporting our neighbour's crime of forgetting to renew their tax disc it's because we have a defective moral compass.

[Nnnnnnn]

MistressDeeCee - I come across so many of these people in my line of work. Taking so much pleasure in being entirely law abiding and self righteous, yet completing missing the fact that they are actually not very nice people. Law abiding, yet nice with it, makes for a much better person. In fact I'd rather the world be full of people who fail to pay their road tax but treat each other nicely, then a world where everyone pays their road tax but stab each other in the back at every opportunity (obviously everyone paying their road tax AND being nice to each other would be the best option before I get accused of saying that breaking the law is OK). It takes more than just following the law to be a decent person.

Had the OP said she'd reported him because he was an arse and he deserved it, I'd have had no issue and just thought good for her. But she made it sound like she was doing it out of social responsibility and came across just like one of the people we've described. Which is why she's had the responses she's had.

I do think he should be fined, but let DVLA's computers get on with it.

Bearbehind - still agreeing with you.

[MistressDeeCee]

Bearbehind yes I shall be very careful

If I saw my neighbour's untaxed car on the road, Im more likely to say in passing I hear theyre in the area lifting untaxed vehicles so best sort your car out sooner rather than later. Thats IF I even noticed, not being in the habit of peering at people's tax discs - I have a life.

There are so many excuses for being mean-spirited as opposed to neighbourly - as if OP or others like her really give a shit about a crime being committed. Theyre just people who don't like people. Most who are discontented and disgruntled in themselves about this or that behave in this way. Vindictive, always got it in for someone. Theyre normally friendless curtain twitchers who probably get off on putting up posts about what theyve done...they can hug the knowledge gleefully to themselves as said neighbour passes by, and revel in the 'you are right' comments. Oh what an exciting life we lead...

Much nicer to be neighbourly

[PigletJohn]

traffic wardens used to ticket or report cars with no tax disc. I got caught once. I probably just hadn't got round to it.

[Bearbehind]

I'm not boasting about not reporting a crime, I'm saying my moral compass would tell me to point out the expired tax disc to the appropriate person rather than sneakily reporting them, or just let it be, knowing they'll be caught in the end.

As I said, this isn't a crime that will remain undetected indefinitely.

I certainly wouldn't be swayed by my opinion of the person which seems to be the general indicator of whether to report this or not.

[redbinneo]

Bearbehind
you seem to be boasting on a public forum about not reporting crime, It's all about your moral compass I suppose.

[Bearbehind]

I have said before that if you are the kind of person who believes all breaches of the law are unacceptable then fair enough, report away, just don't post on a public forum boasting about it.

The OP could have pointed out the expired tax disc to the neighbour, no one accidentally burgles or robs someone but it is conceivable that they can accidentally not tax their car.

Plus, tax evasions by millionaires, burglary and mugging might never catch up with the culprit if it isn't reported - not taxing a car will- the DVLA know exactly what is and isn't taxed and who owns it- reporting this just saves them time but the end result is the same.

[VeryStressedMum]

How do you even notice the tax discs on your neighbours cars...i wouldn't report him unless i hated him and was feeling vindictive.
I've forgotten to tax my car on time before, you don't get let off from paying it.
Also i do it over the phone so while it's being sent to me i have an out of date tax disc on the car but it's fine to drive around as you're actually taxed. Then when it does arrive i forget to put it on the car for ages. How do you know this hasn't happened with your neighbour?

[redbinneo]

Bearbehind:

Where do you draw the line? Obviously you think murder is unacceptable, but low level tax evasion is OK. What crime do you think merits reporting? Is burglary OK, how about mugging, how about tax evasion by millionaires?
Perhaps we should all just walk on by.

[unlucky83]

I think someone (and I think I know who) reported my DP for not having a tax disc...
He was taxed but small DD had pulled it off and it refused to stick to the windscreen properly...it had fallen on the floor of the car...
It was parked on the (quiet) road outside and he got a fine for not displaying (not a lot maybe £30), appealed it and got let off...but didn't get round to buying a new holder (his fault). He taped it to the screen as a temporary solution...
It must have fallen off again, he got fined (again) for failure to display, this time didn't bother appealing and got a new holder...
What makes me think someone was reporting him?
I had noticed it was still stuck with tape 2 days before and reminded him he needed a new holder...assuming it fell off straight after I saw it a pretty big coincidence for the authorities to see it in the same place in that time frame...
I would just say OP -I can't decide if YWBU or not - but I would say be careful!
If your neighbour guesses or even suspects it was you reporting them it might start more trouble than it was worth ...
I know if who I suspected had reported DP had forgotten to renew their tax, had worn tyres, etc etc I would have been pleased to report them....(people in glass houses ...)

[Bearbehind]

Ah, so 'criminals' who don't display a tax disc are right up there with murderers and paedophiles- get some perspective.

Not taxing a car will catch up with you eventually, even if it isn't until you sell it- reporting it just saves the DVLA a bit of work.

[redbinneo]

OP
I think that you did exactly the right thing. The support for criminals on this thread amazes me.

[Nataleejah]

YABU.

You can tell someone they have got something wrong before you drop them in the crap.

You have got them in the most trouble you can rather than behaving like a reasonable and neighbourly person. How would you like it if others treated you likewise?

Borders on malicious imo.
Exactly!!!

[Bearbehind]

And lizzie what are you on about no tax disc on both vehicles there's only one untaxed car?

[CeliaLytton]

Op, in your situation, with the attitude your neighbours have, YANBU.

However this month, the first time in 15 years of driving, taxing and insuring a vehicle, I forgot to tax my car.no reminder from the DVLA, a few other things on my mind and it slipped through the net. Yes, my own fault but I sure as hell would have appreciated a neighbours intent it out to me rather than reporting!

Those of you pointing out it is an offence not to tax and that it invalidates insurance and you would report for the common good, your logic is flawed. If someone had pointed out the lack of tax to me, I would have taxed it online immediately or if unable to do that, stopped driving it until it was taxed. If I had been reported, I would have carried on driving an untaxed vehicle for longer making it more likely that I would have an accident in the untaxed timeframe.

If you report someone in a situation like this, you are doing it because you have history with them or out of spite. You are not doing it to look after other road users. In normal circs with no history of aggression, rudeness or illegal behaviour, I would definitely mention something like this in person first rather than being holier than thou.

[Bearbehind]

lizzie, I think it might be you that needs to read the details before you post.

The OP said second car, implying they have 3 vehicles; a main car, a second car and a works van.

And the key phrase is not the or it is the may not- it does not say will not - a third party would be covered but the driver wouldn't- so quit with your patronising 'is that clearer for you?'

[WitchWay]

DH & I saw a car with a current tax disc, parked on a road in a town where we were having a day out, with four completely bald tyres - two were showing the webbing all the way round! Awful. I rang 101 when we got home & reported it. Don't buy a car if you can't afford to look after it responsibly.

[Troglodad]

YABU.

You can tell someone they have got something wrong before you drop them in the crap.

You have got them in the most trouble you can rather than behaving like a reasonable and neighbourly person. How would you like it if others treated you likewise?

Borders on malicious imo.

[NoodleOodle]

I would only report them if I disliked them and wanted to get at them for some reason.

[LizzieHexham]

No tax disc on both vehicles? A really good reason? What apart from can't be arsed and thinking the law doesn't apply to him?

So tax - dodging is only bad when It's banks or big business doing it.

You get plenty of notice before your tax disc runs out.

[LizzieHexham]

Bearbehind try reading before you post. The OP mentioned a car and a van and the link clearly says" if you don’t have a tax disc or an MOT certificate your insurance may not be valid."

T"Or" not "and" meaning either of them may invalidate it. Is that clearer for you?

I mentioned my very unneighborly neighbour as a reason why I might not want to be "neighbourly"and leave a note for him.

[ThisSummerBetterBeDarnGood]

I think this is so mean, he has obv had one, and it only ran out relatively recently, I am sure there is a good reason why he hasnt another one, You should have mentioned it to him rather than snitching on him.

In fact if you had mentioned it to him, did he know, you noticed and therefore someone else may and fine him....would have been a far nicer way of getting round it.

I always think of Communism, Stalin, North Korea, children ratting on parents because they didn't bow to the Leaders picture that night and so on when I read threads like this.

Society being taught to rat on each other....