'End discriminatory reconditioned car import policy'

Local car dealers, politicians and members of the civil society want an end to the discriminatory policy in importing the reconditioned cars to ensure adequate transportation for the masses, reports bdnews24.com.

Speakers pressed the demand at a roundtable titled "Reconditioned Vehicles: Import Policy and Reality," organised jointly by Channel i and Shaptahik 2000 in the city Saturday.

The participants also called upon the government to allow import of six-to-eight years old reconditioned vehicles, vehicles having over 1,600-cc engines, vehicles more than 10-years-old for the commercial transportation sector as well as reduction of taxes on import of station wagons and smaller (up to 1,300-cc) vehicles.

They also demanded import of construction and agricultural equipment and vehicles facilitating public transportation.

Md S Islam Nannu, the organising secretary of Bangladesh Business Forum in Japan, in a written statement said, Bangladesh had enacted a law prohibiting import of vehicles more than four-years-old, whereas Ireland and the UAE allowed import of vehicles up to 22-years-old, Saudi Arabia 20 years, Thailand 18 years, Australia 14 years, England 12 years, and Russia and New Zealand up to 9-years-old Japanese vehicles.

He said, if import of six to eight years old vehicles were permitted, the Bangladeshi buyers would be able to purchase those vehicles for Tk 4,50,000 to Tk 5,50,000 each instead of the current range of Tk 8,00,000.

Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) President Abdul Haque said, the age limit for the reconditioned vehicles should not be four years.