AIMVIA lashes out at proposed law changes
The Australian Imported Motor Vehicle industry (AIMVIA) has been dealt a massive blow with sweeping changes to importing regulations announced yesterday by the Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Paul Fletcher, according to the AIMVIA. The association says that despite recommendations from two separate independent reviews and other government-commissioned reports, the federal government has capitulated to heavy lobbying by vested interests, scrapping the option for private citizens to import their own new vehicles from overseas. Without this competition in the marketplace, Australians will continue to pay some of the highest retail prices for vehicles in the western world, it says. In what is seen as a double blow to the industry, AIMVIA estimates that proposed changes to the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (SEVS) will reduce imported vehicle numbers by more than 50 per cent, resulting in most of the 142 registered workshops and many more ancillary businesses closing their doors. AIMVIA President, Jack Sandher is blunt. "It will mean the decimation of our industry, there's no other way to describe it. The association and its board has devoted hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours to regular meetings with politicians and departmental staff across Australia over the past four years, only to be ignored at the finish line. At a time when the automotive industry is already shrinking, it is ludicrous that the "government for small business" is prepared to watch 142 small-to-medium enterprises go to the wall for the sake of protecting the profits of overseas vehicle manufacturers." Furthermore, AIMVIA says it has grave concerns for the integrity of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act review process itself. It has recently come to light that a senior government official charged with the task of overseeing the policy review and revision has just accepted a newly-created role within one of the industry associations heavily petitioning the government to tighten the act and prevent further competition. AIMVIA says it intends to investigate this matter further.
