Dear Editor,

These are a few questions regarding motor vehicle imports which I would like the government to address.

(1) What is the purpose of duties of 100 per cent and more on motor cars? What purpose does it serve for me to pay twice the value of the car which I want to drive? If revenue is the main goal, would the government not collect more revenue from a greater influx of cars rather than from extracting as much as they can from the few cars that do come in?

(2) What is the purpose of limiting the age of imported cars to three years from the calendar year? I can understand the desire to prevent the market being swamped by low-quality cars, but the cars of the past decade are reliable and still in high demand. If banks and credit unions are willing to finance cars up to 10 years old, would that not be a better age limit, if an age limit must be adhered to?

No Jamaican consumer will willingly choose an older car over a newer one, except for financial reasons, since we know that older cars are cheaper on the initial purchase, but cost more with maintenance and upkeep. If the government were to loosen its policies and be more flexible in this area, they would revitalise the currently moribund used car market;

provide a ray of hope for many young professionals seeking to buy an affordable vehicle at a reasonable price; collect much more revenue than they are collecting now from the increased number of imported cars; and witness an increase in registration fees, revenue from speeding tickets and fuel taxes. They should also provide more incentives for older, less efficient cars to come off the roads. All this would make them score political points with all Jamaicans who drive cars.

The current situation smacks of colonial oppression and “fighting-down” to ensure that only the rich or connected (via duty concession) will have access to good cars. I encourage Minister Samuda to listen to the words of Mr Andrew Jackson in his excellent columns and liberalise the car importation market. Doing this will present a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Geoffrey Marshall

marshallgeoff@gmail.com