I refer to the article on vehicles, whose owners owed the government import duty, being impounded until all outstanding debts are paid (January 13).

I imported two cars into Malta last year and scrupulously followed the law, obtaining Maltese number plates for them within the allotted time. However, the process is extremely bureaucratic and time-consuming, involving long waits in government offices and the patience of a saint.

Things are, perhaps, a bit better in Gozo since the numbers involved are lower than in Malta, where the process can be a real nightmare. One need only visit the relevant websites to read the comments of expats importing their vehicles into our islands to verify this.

In my opinion, if the process were to be simplified and streamlined, with most of it done online, more people would comply and the government would not lose as much revenue as it is obviously doing at the moment.

I suspect that many people are breaking the law as they just could not be bothered to jump through all the various hoops which exist at the moment.