Appeal for 'polluter pays' in second-hand car imports

Malta has become the dumping ground for the unwanted second-hand cars of another country, Japan, with highly negative effects on the environment, while making a mockery of any concept of car park management government is implementing.

Sources close to the industry last week expressed concern with The Sunday Times on these negative effects, pointing out that these second-hand imports make a mockery of the "polluter pays" principle.

"New cars have to satisfy highly stringent Certificate of Conformity regulations and conform with Euro3 pollution regulations," Georg Sapiano, secretary-general of the Association of Car Importers Malta (ACIM), said. "These second-hand imports do not even comply with Euro1 emission standards."

With the best years taken out of these second-hand cars before they are imported into Malta, these cars will pollute to a greater degree than the new equivalents.

"Europe is moving towards higher standards and improving our quality of life," Dr Sapiano pointed out. "Government has to change its Jekyll-and-Hyde approach to introducing the high standards we need and have come to expect for new cars while allowing second-hand imports with such a negative impact on the environment to enter Malta.

"ACIM appeals to Government to apply the 'polluter pays' principle. Tax for tax, second-hand imports should cost more."

Another concern relates to the scrapping of these second-hand imports. While importers of new cars now are committed to shoulder the burden of scrapping the cars they import, once they have reached the end of their life, there is no such commitment for second-hand imports.

"Who is going to be responsible for scrapping these cars?" Dr Sapiano asked. "These are cars that will be scrapped faster than the new cars that are being imported today."

With most owners expecting to get 10 years out of a car before changing it, these second-hand imports will deteriorate faster and need to be scrapped before the new cars imported at the same time.