Foreign automobiles advance from the West

The new customs duties on foreign automobiles (meaning cars in general, since domestic Tavriya's have not thus far been an object of increasing re-export), imported to Ukraine, became effective on April 1. At the same time the widest stratum of the population, the middle class, which was preparing to start saving money, dreamt of secondhand European autos, will stop smiling, for the government has prohibited the import of such cars produced over five years ago.

The Day correspondent was informed at one Transcarpathian border crossing that the number of foreign cars trying to cross the border before April Fools Day was five times higher than usual at the main customs points at Uzhhorod and Chop. As dusk fell the drivers began to worry. But their agitation was calmed by a customs service announcement: those who registered their arrival at the border before midnight had nothing to worry about and might stand in line even ten days if need be and would still be allowed to enter the motherland with pre-April 1 customs duties. Hence it follows that the customs officers solved the problem of the transit capacity of border crossings, thus discouraging from disobedience their fellow citizens, who earn their living by importing cars to Ukraine, as well as those, who at the last moment managed to find the money and rushed abroad to buy something on wheels.

At the same time a reasonable question arises: what will be the sale price for a place on the registration list of those who arrived by midnight March 31/April 1? If there are any doubts that such numbers will be sold, they are insignificant. For according to the new regulations only cars costing at least $5000 can be cleared for entry.

PS. The Day correspondents got in touch with Ministry of Industrial Policy, Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, and Kyiv Customs. All had no comment but shared the assumption that the number of used cars imported to Ukraine increased before the Cabinets' embargo came into effect.

Photo by Volodymyr Rasner, The Day
Will cheap cars die out like the mammoths in our country?