Lorry dealer's wrong ideas on excise duty
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A LORRY DEALER who believed that a commercial vehicl being driven for a pre-test examination did not need an excis licence was put right by Ormskirk magistrates.
William Bickerton, 58, of Ormskirk was fined £40 and order to pay £58.25 back duty, when he pleaded guilty at Ormskirk to charge of driving a motor lorry with no excise licence.
William Twydale, defending, said: "My client on that day was taking his vehicle for a pre-test examination."
Believing that a journey to a garage for a pre-test examination was legitimate, Bickerton set off with the lorry. He found out later that only a journey for an actual test was allowed and that in order to use the vehicle on the road without an excise licence he had to be in possession of a failure cer-' tificate.
"Although my client has been the registered keeper of the vehicle since September 1978, it has never been on the highway apart from this one time," said Mr Twydale. "My client is a dealer in use commercial vehicles and sinc the time of purchase in Sep tember 1978 this vehicle ha been for sale, off the road an on his own premises."
But the magistrates though otherwise and ordered M Bickerton to pay the bac duty.