Local car dealers are disappointed over the government’s recent decision to make it mandatory for the payment of the duty and taxes on the import of new and used vehicles to be paid out of foreign exchange.
They are of the opinion that the move is a result of monopoly of the local car manufacturing companies as they have benefited from the decision while the traders dealing with imported cars have suffered immense loss.
The import of vehicles has almost stopped after the new policy.
Car Dealers Federation Vice President Imran Abbas said that local companies had increased the prices of their cars after the ban on imported vehicles. “The day the government imposed the restriction, there was an increase in prices of local cars. The assemblers and manufacturers of local cars are the ones benefiting,” he said.
The representatives of the car dealers’ association recently held a meeting with Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Textiles Razzak Dawood and informed him of the situation. They have now vowed to take to the streets if their grievances are not addressed.
Imran Abbas said that the PTI government had made tall claims about empowering overseas Pakistanis prior to elections, but these tough conditions had made them wary of the new government because they were facing a difficult time. He added that the move had resulted in a drastic fall in imports, which had affected several small businesses as well.
He said that the traders of used cars were facing a sharp decline in their business, which was their bread and butter.
“The revenue generated by these imported cars has always been legal and fair,” he said, and added that the imported cars were more luxurious than the locally-manufactured ones and came with all the necessary equipment like air bags. He said that local companies sent dollars out of the country in the name of royalty, but the government did not regulate or restrict them.
Imran said that the government should make such policies after taking traders into confidence, and appealed to the authorities to not let the businesses be affected. “The closure of businesses will result in countless families being affected, and the PTI government would be responsible for this injustice,” he said.
