Industry News: Cuba Lifts Restriction On Buying New Vehicles

[William Maley]

Buying and selling vehicles in Cuba is an interesting proposition. If you own or want to buy a vehicle before 1959 (the year when Cuba underwent a revolution and became a communist nation), you don't have to ask the government for permission. If the vehicle built after 1959, then you would have to obtain a special permit from the government which allows you to buy that vehicle. But buying a vehicle in Cuba in the near future will become a much easier affair.

The Cuban Government announced last week that it will eliminate the permit as a way to open up the marketplace to more people.

“It’s become clear that while private sales of cars between individuals has developed smoothly, the sale of cars using ‘authorization cards’ has been inadequate and obsolete. The card, apart from being overly bureaucratic, became a source of speculation and illicit self-enrichment,” said the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

The paper went onto say the “steps will be taken to eliminate restrictions that lost their reason for being with the passage of time. Administrative shackles that created opportunities for illegal activity will also disappear.”

Even with this change, buying a new vehicle in Cuba might be a difficult task still. New models might carry a 100 percent sales tax, meant to fund Cuba's public transport system.

Source: Associated Press via The Detroit News

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[loki]

will theft be the new business? ha!

[G. David Felt]

Be interesting to see what the first type of auto's are that get imported and what the cost would be. This would be a great time for Cuba to also look at green fueled cars and set a standard rather than just let old existing auto's come in as is. They have a huge Sugar crop that could be used to make alternative fuel.