Second-hand car importers are still unable to say how much their cars will cost under the new tax regime because they are still waiting for certain information from the government.
They are urging the government to publish the "residual values" of second-hand imported vehicles, which is the value of a car established by the government for registration purposes.
The Used Vehicles Importers' Association yesterday called on the authorities to publish these values as soon as possible to allow importers to work out the selling price of their cars.
Although the association is expecting a "substantial drop" in the prices of second-hand cars once the new registration tax comes into force, the 28 importers are unable to answer their clients' questions, association president Oliver Brownrigg charged.
"We cannot tell clients the price of cars under the new regime and this is costing us business," he said.
Mr Brownrigg explained that while new-car dealers are taking deposits and registering cars after January 1, importers of used cars are not even able to do that because they cannot give clients prices.
Moreover, since most of their business entails taking a customer's old car in exchange for a newer one, it is even more important to know the residual values in order to be able to value the old cars.
He said this was not the first time that second-hand car importers had encountered hurdles. The association was set up in 2002 when importers were being asked to show certification that cars were in line with European regulations.
Some years later, rumours circulated that the cars were not genuine and the Malta Transport Authority was checking each car's speedometer. Later, importers were asked to ensure that cars' emissions were in line with European regulations.
Mr Brownrigg said the reason for such obstacles was obvious: the government was being forced by their competitors to limit the success of the sector.
Asked yesterday when the residual values are expected to be published, the Finance Ministry did not reply.