Registration tax must go for all cars
Given a choice, most consumers would certainly opt for a new vehicle as opposed to a second-hand. New vehicles offer many advantages, including warranty, guaranteed after-sales service and the availability of spare parts. Massive investment is...
Given a choice, most consumers would certainly opt for a new vehicle as opposed to a second-hand. New vehicles offer many advantages, including warranty, guaranteed after-sales service and the availability of spare parts.
Massive investment is continually made by new-car manufacturers in the area of research and development, ensuring that their cars come with the latest technology, for both safety and the environment. This ensures that new cars comply with the latest European Union directives, which are constantly being upgraded to offer lower emissions and better safety to drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
New-car importers have been present in the local market for up to three generations, offering customers a long-term relationship, and have continually invested heavily in upgrading their dealerships and training their specialised technicians. This has included acquiring the latest service testing equipment, as recommended by their respective manufacturers.
As we are on the eve of the 2009 Budget, the Association of Car Importers Malta (ACIM) strongly believes that, in order to have a level playing field in the local car market, it is essential that the government should work towards the complete elimination of registration tax on both new and second-hand cars, in line with other European Union member states.
If there is a level playing field in the market, then Maltese consumers will have the opportunity to replace their cars much more frequently and the average age of cars will start to decline.
This will mean that the cars will be more environmentally-friendly, pollute less and the population at large will benefit from cleaner air.
Surely any cursory look around the islands will show that second-hand car dealers are chock-full of stock waiting to be sold and there is no shortage of choice in this sector of the market.
It is also of interest to note that new-car importers, collectively, are a major employer on the islands with well over 700 people in their employment.