Poor car import policies

25 Oct, 2006

This is with reference to the news regarding Government officials' misuse of imported luxury vehicles at government expenses. I would like to express my views through your newspaper.
It is now a well recognised truth that bureaucrats from Customs and Income Tax departments can devour taxpayer's money at their will. More importantly, I am not able to understand the government's rationale to liberalise the auto imports, which seems to be one of the main causes of these embezzlements to occur after all. Our inconsistent auto imports policy is only making way for such practices to happen even more often.
Rather than imposing heavy tariff barriers on the import of cars and making its officials to use locally produced vehicles, the government, through such policies, is encouraging lavish culture of high-spending on luxurious items.
Officials, therefore, are sadly using the country's hard-earned foreign exchange for their vested interests and personal luxury. It seems these liberal import policies are implemented for personal good of selected elite, at the cost of immeasurable damage to the local industry, national economy and the middle-working class.
In my opinion the import of luxury cars should be banned with immediate effect. The government should provide support to local auto manufacturers asking them to provide products needed by each customer category. Such measures can drastically help in creating jobs, reducing the import influx and reduction of ever-increasing overall trade gap.

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