The only way to import good cheap fuel efficient cars from Japan that are not orphans
(IE: to import Toyota Corollas , Yaris etc) is to change the Motor Vehicle Standards Act
(MVSA 1989-2002) to permit normal Japanese Used Cars to be imported by individuals
without prohibitively high modification/testing costs.
If you are all interested, this is how it can be done:
Write a letter to the Hon Scott Morrison , Treasurer & cc it to:
-The Minister for Transport
-The Minister for Industry
-your local MP/Senator
Dear Treasurer,
May I request that you set legislation in motion to enable the average Australian
Citizen to import a good used fuel efficient family style car from Japan without excessive red tape
or expenses so that the average taxpayer can benefit from the Japan-Australia FTA to offset some
of the negative effects of this agreement on household income.
May I suggest the following MVSA amendments:
(a) That the MVSA 1989-2002 recognises Japanese motor vehicle safety, emissions and vehicle
standards without reservations
(b) That the Japanese OEM and/ or their Australian agents are deemed the manufacturer of the
vehicle (not the importer) and as such are responsible for all mandatory vehicle recalls
(c) That State Government Authorities as per the MVSA 1989 will register these used imported
vehicles once a valid local roadworthy certificate is provided
(d) That these vehicles are subject to GST at port of entry levied at the documented Japanese
purchase price + shipping costs & not at local fair market values.
(e) That insurers or financiers are not allowed to unfairly discriminate against these vehicles.
Yours faithfully
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PS: Politicians such as Christopher Pine are advocating the multinationals position ( he represents
a seat in Adelaide close to the closing GM plant) as his colleagues did in 2002 when the MVSA added
crippling restrictions to the act in the interests of the Multinationals.
Now, however, the Multinationals do not have the excuse that relaxing import restrictions will compel
them to close their local factories. They used that red herring in 2002 and we can clearly see now how
silly that arguement is now.
The 2 yeat 500 kilometer limit on used cars is simply to accommodate Japanese manufacturers
who like their branches here register thousands of unsold new cars to dishonestly skew market share figures.
This in worth nothing to you or I but I suppose Mr Pyne is cadging election campaign donations!
Re Europe:
We are allowed to own a car continuously for 2 years overseas before we import it as a personal import.
The catch, however , is that we cant return to Aus in the interim to qualify and, as someone said above,
its like offering grandad a concession provided he has his grandad with him.
Would'nt it be nice to go to Europe for 3 months, buy a new RH drive (steer) car, tour Eorope and put up say 15,000 ks & then ship it back to Aus. Kill two birds with the one stone.
But we're not allowed this concession so that multinationals can continue engineering their price gouge
in Aus and then laugh all the way to the overseas tax havens................Struth!!!!!!!!
