Measures against used car samsars. The Minister of the Environment announces restrictions on imports
The Minister of the Environment announced, on TVR Info, limitations regarding the second-hand car market, Diana Buzoianu saying that, in the emergency ordinance she will propose, it will be stipulated that a natural person will not be able to bring and register more than two old vehicles from other states. The measure is aimed at combating illegal trade.
“We proposed two (second-hand vehicles – no), in the sense that if you are a samsar, even with two cars a year you don't really have economic activity, so to speak. We didn't want to limit it, in the sense that maybe if a family wanted to get two cars in a year. I understand that the proposal is to be one car. On the other side, you should know that there were many who said why limit the right… Well, limit the right of an individual to bring 50 cars to use for personal purposes. It was very clear that there was, in fact, an illegal activity,” said Diana Buzoianu, quoted by News.ro.
“At the moment, the formula is two cars”
The minister emphasizes that he is also having discussions with the companies that deal with the second-hand car trade and that have legal activities, and depending on these discussions, the proposals from the future normative act will be established.
“At the moment, the formula is two cars, but the project is still under public debate. There will be some more changes, because we also discussed with the fair industry, the honest second-hand operators, who drew our attention to the fact that the bureaucracy should not be so great that, in fact, we should give up a legitimate market, the second-hand one. And we will have some improvements in this economic area as well”, emphasizes Buzoianu.
Asked if it would not be possible for the so-called “car smugglers”, who do untaxed trade, to call on relatives and friends to buy cars from other states in their name, Diana Buzoianu assures that measures will be taken to combat this type of illegal trade.
“I have full confidence in the creativity of the criminals in Romania, believe me, in the last nine months I have seen a lot of things, but believe us, we are also with a very high energy to stop this creativity and to cost this creativity. Because, in the end, if it doesn't cost them, it costs us all, in the air we exhale”, answered the minister.
