The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I am interested to know if anyone else has had the same problem.

In July 2021 I renewed the road tax on one of my cars for 12months starting the 1st August and then in April of this year the DVLA site advised that if your vehicle was built before 1st January 1982 you can stop paying vehicle Tax from the 1st April.

I duly received as expected a vehicle tax reminder letter (V11) in July so then on the 12th July I went to my nearest Post Office with the Vehicle tax reminder (V11), the V5C registration certificate (log book), an insurance certificate, a valid MOT certificate plus evidence of my vehicle is actually exempt from an MOT (V112) as my car was first registered on 1st Dec 1981. My assumption was that I would receive a refund for April, May, June & July when I applied to renew the road tax at the now zero rate. I was told by the lady that served me at the Post Office that there would be a long delay in getting my refund so I did not raise a complaint until September when I emailed DVLA to complain about the delay. The response contain in their reference 98661641 Parrym VCSH D10 dated the 25 September states “We cannot backdate refunds: the refund is issued from the date the vehicle is taxed as Historic. Unfortunately, as we didn’t receive your application until July 2022, there is no refund due.”

I plan to appeal as I consider that as the DVLA site did not advise owners who had already paid their road tax to have their vehicles classification changed to Historic in April and to also claim a refund.

This is not a "problem" it's how DVLA works! The onus is on YOU to tell THEM the car is elegible for historic status, not the other way round!

They don't tell you your car is now liable for exemption from VED due to age. You are just expected to KNOW!

If you didn't KNOW and the VED reminder dropped through your letterbox, even though the car IS liable for historic status, they would still happily take your £250 or whatever for another year's VED and not say a word about it!

Good luck with your appeal, personally I don't think you have a snowflakes chance in hell of getting any money back. They've rigged it that way!

What you SHOULD have done, is presented your V5 at your local PO on 31st of March with the VED class changed to historic. they would then have sent your V5 to Swansea for you to be altered, issued you with a reciept for £0 for the next years VED and you would have got a cheque in due course for any leftover VED you'd payed.

NOTE that I said go in on the 31st March, this is to avoid another DVLA fiddle. A car that is already taxed you can apply up to 2 working days early, (more if you apply online) had you gone in on April 1st, they would not refund you the April VED as they ONLY refund COMPLETE months! Talk about a con!

Steve

EDIT I just re-read your post and found yet another discrepancy. Since, AFAIK, the last Dolomite rolled off the line in November 1980, EVERY Dolomite has been elegible for Historic Status since April 1st 2021! Never mind late registrations, it's the build date that counts, if you have a Dolomite registered on or after Jan 8th 1981, get a heritage cert and claim your free VED! You are not out by 4 months VED, but have actually needlessly paid for 16 months!

its up to you not the DVLA to register it as exempt, you won't get a refund