The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) has advised the federal government against exempting imported used cars from regulatory duty and additional customs duty.
In its budget proposals, the OICCI argued that continuing these duties would discourage the import of used cars and protect the local automobile industry.
The OICCI emphasized the detrimental effects of used car imports on the sales of locally manufactured vehicles. The OICCI also proposed implementing an extra tax on imported vehicles under schemes tailored for overseas Pakistanis.
According to the OICCI, this move aims to prevent the exploitation of such schemes for commercial purposes, as many cars are currently imported under these concessions.
The chamber emphasized the need for policies that prioritize the long-term interests of the economy and called for strict measures to regulate the import of used cars.
This proposal follows the federal government’s recent amendment to the Import Policy 2022 on March 28, which relaxed restrictions on the import of used cars. The Ministry of Commerce now allows the import of used cars with up to 2,000 kilometres of mileage, which is considered new, a change from the previous limit of 500 kilometres.