A confession re. my MOT this year..... ooops....

Sure we've all done it. Accidentally, and I mean accidentally, forgot about my MOT test until a couple of weeks ago.
It should have been done in June !
Car passed so a good result.
Thing is, you get reminders about car insurance, I get my road tax taken out by monthly direct debit, but MOT is left to chance every year.
What I'd like to know is why the road tax has kept being taken even though the MOT expired four months ago. The MOT is now computerised so why doesn't this alert the road tax system about not being up to date. A simple email from DVLA ahead of the expiry date would be a sufficient reminder.
Or is this too simple?
Oh and the new MOT was dated from the day in October for a year, not backdated to June.

 

Put a reminder in your phone/on your email calender/an event on facebook/written on an actual calender now so you don't forget next year. I have a list which has the dates of things that happen every year that I need to remember (important birthdays, ISA renewal, MOT/tax/insurance date, regular yearly appointments etc.) pinned up on a noticeboard under the Month headings. It's better than on a regular calender (which I don't own) as I don't have to copy them across every year and I can see what's coming up the next month at a glance without having to turn the page and get a nasty shock.

The new MOT wouldn't be backdated to June as it's just saying your car is considered roadworthy (providing nothing happens to it of course) for a year, there's no reason for them to only say it would be valid for only 8 months just because you did it late. What I do find strange is that you can do it a month early and get 13months on it but I guess that's to encourage people to get it done.

 

Garage I use send me a reminder letter

 

I can beat that. Mine was due in March, I only remembered at the end of last month.

 

You can't insure your car if it doesn't have a valid MOT, so if you synchronise your MOT with your insurance you will automatically get reminded by your insurance company.

However, as others have said, why don't you just put it in the calendar on your phone?

 

So much for all those ANPR cameras which are supposed to flag this sort of thing up to the police.

 

I got caught by the police a couple of years ago with no MOT. Got caught in February and I thought it was due in June so I was quite glad I got caught or I'd have been driving for months. Not great being pulled up on the m1 in Leicestershire in this pissing rain mind. £60 fine but the coppers were fair they let me drive home to Luton in it and I was only allowed to drive it again to go the garage. Ended up costing ,e a fortune to fix all the things that were wrong with the shitheap.


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And I can beat that.

Mine ran out in January. Only renewed in august.

Felt sick to be fair. I usually had a reminder in my diary. But never did. Just by pure chance I checked it. Oops.

Was renewed the very next day passed with flying covers. Not that this was ok cos it wasn't.

I'm convinced the change in tax has completely snookered hundreds if not thousands.

Your tax renewal generally acted as a reminder for the MOT. Now it doesn't do naff all.

 

Respect.
I didn't feel sick at all, more chuffed that I'd (inadvertently) beaten the system. God, I live life close to the edge, me.

 

Done it twice accidentally...had the car done but forgot the van....got pulled by the ANPR car that parks just off the meadowhall turn off on both occasions .

 

Even harder to remember here in Italy 'cos it is every 2 years! 1st revisione (MOT) due when car is 4 years old (Same as mandatory servicing of GCH boilers every 2 years)
TARI and TASI (rubbish tax and Local council tax is even better.. Not only do you NOT get sent a bill for TASI , you have to work it out yourself and pay by a certain date which is a 'moveable feast' as the due date is whenever the Agenzia Entrata bother to tell the Commune accountant what the rate is set at for that particular year for his particular commune. The whole thing is so complicated the only way to make sure you have paid the correct amount is to employ an accountant to work it out for you which, of course, costs money. At least that way it gets paid on time and if the amount is wrong he is responsible (provided you have given him the correct details.
Personal tax is even more complicated as UK Public pensions are taxed in UK but private pensions, state pension, share dividends, bank interest and current UK account balances are all taxed in Italy and all have to be declared, the current account declarations showing the balance for every day of the year to arrive at an average daily balance. Again they do not calculate the tax due, you have to do that and there are swingeing fines if you get the amount wrong or are late paying - all part of life's rich pattern I suppose. Still it keeps the accountants in work over here.

 

Main takeaway...you live in a commune?

 

No...... Italy is still structured like England of old as we have equivalent of Urban District Councils. Here we live in Le Marche equivalent of a county, (Marche is split into two provinces we come under Macerata with Ascoli Piceno being the other ) then you have local 'Communes' - pronounced com-you-neh (Councils) These are all funded by central Government but collect the taxes on their behalf and are responsible for administering/maintaining the side roads, street lighting (highways come under the province control) , civic amenities, organising events giving planning permissions (with some exceptions requiring regional approval). Some smaller communes can add a small additional surcharge up to an agreed % of the rates if there are insufficient residents to provide the necessary funding to finance all the services. (There are only about 900 residents in our rural commune. Historically, our town is a hilltop village which has hardly spread beyond its original feudal fortified mediaeval boundaries. Others have expanded into sizeable towns beyond the historical 'old town' walls.

Therre are several communes within 10 minutes of each other mainly located on hilltops - all fiercely independent and all stage different events througjhout the year. It is all rather parochial but, in spite of the fact it should be inefficient things, work rather well (on the surface at least).

The Italian Government still considers Services as a service and not a money making opportunity. Medical care, for example, at least in ths part of Italy, is good, Virtually no waiting times, state of the art equipment with well trained and highly qualified doctors. Mostly it is free or nominal charges for prescriptions 40 cents to 2 euros for each prescription depending on what it is. Scans like colour doppler for thrombosis etc are available within 1-3 days and cost 60 euros but you get the diagnosis, DVD and report with recommended treatment there and then. You are responsible for keeping your own medical records in a file. People with no/very low income may have to wait for a few weeks (unless it is an emergency but then they get the scan free. Scans and Blood tests are carried out by private organisations but heavily subsidised by the State. Blood test costs vary depending on how many things you are being screened for, typically between 20 and 60 euros. Hospital care can be anything up to 150-200 euros but that covers you for everything from diagnosis, consultants, operation to post operative care and medication. (The state pay but expect people to make a small contribution toward the costs). Our NI costs for medical cover are around 380 euros per year each which is pretty good. That said I think the health service here is losing money hand over fist as are many parts of the Italian administration but somehow they seem to manage- how long for though I have no idea. Earthquakes, austerity, unemployment and the migrant crisis are taking their toll.

 

Tekkytyke is David Koresh.

 

'Nope' ..... Not even David Icke although my missus thinks I am as daft most of the time