FG Plans To Introduce on Re-Registration Of Registered Vehicles

Homeowners of personal and business autos in Nigeria have, in current weeks, been expressing concern over the introduction by the federal authorities of a re-registration train for all classes of vehicles, as most autos on the roads within the nation are already registered.

 

Talking in Abuja at a sensitisation seminar on the Nationwide Car Registry (VREG), the Minister of Finance, Funds and Nationwide Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, mentioned VREG is a mission aimed toward lowering automotive theft and likewise making certain inter-agency database on vehicles within the nation.

 

Justifying the imperatives of the mission, the minister disclosed that “from October 2018 to September 2019, Nigeria recorded over N1.8 trillion worth of used autos importation, noting that the nation was the hub of stolen autos the place the Car Identification Quantity (VIN) of vehicles had been often unregistered and will consequently not be traced.

 

She revealed that the VREG was established beneath the Strategic Income Progress Initiative (SRGI) of the federal authorities to spice up income technology for the federal government and improve nationwide safety.

 

With the pilot part starting on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Kirikiri Gentle Terminal, Ahmed noticed that the VREG seeks to “present the NCS with steerage in all clearing, duties, registration and redistribution of autos, focused at making certain that each one autos are trackable, taxable and generate extra revenues.”

 

The assertion by the finance minister that VREG mission is supposed to “increase income technology for the federal government” beneath the Strategic Income Progress Initiative (SRGI) of the federal authorities” along with her additional dedication that VREG would be sure that “all autos are traceable, taxable and generate extra revenues” each recommend that VREG is extra of a income technology mission than a safety resolution. Moreover, the Federal Ministry of Finance isn’t recognized to be a safety outfit.

 

Believing that automobile house owners paid numerous sums of cash to the FRSC to register and procure quantity plates simply as they paid different types of expenses on the Car Inspection Workplaces (VIO) to register their autos and procure automobile license, proof of possession, certificates of roadworthiness along with paying for third social gathering insurance coverage cowl, the VREG mission solely provides to the pointless tax burden on automobile house owners within the nation.

 

If it’s for the sake of safety, particulars of car engine and chassis numbers and different automobile information that had been captured throughout automobile registration processes on the FRSC and VIO needs to be out there to be used by safety businesses.

 

Initiating a contemporary re-registration train beneath the VREG mission with the intention to re-capture primary automobile data for monitoring in case of theft or different functions, together with violation of laid down guidelines by automobile house owners, is pointless.

 

The VREG isn’t solely an additional monetary legal responsibility at a time Nigerians are passing via troublesome financial circumstances, together with inflation and the weak worth of the naira, but additionally a waste of time and power.

 

Poor Nigerians could be the worst hit beneath the VREG mission as house owners of business autos shall merely go the tax legal responsibility onto passengers. VREG can also be wrongly timed as a result of that is coming at a season when different international locations are giving tax aid or waivers to residents with the intention to cushion the impact of the COVID-19.

It’s nearly changing into a burden to personal a automobile in Nigeria and that shouldn’t be the case in a rustic the place there isn’t any organised mode of transportation for residents. As a substitute of additional expenses, residents needs to be inspired via some type of palliative to help their motion from one place to a different.

 

To satisfy authorities’s income targets, we name on the minister of finance to look elsewhere beneath the SRGI. Tobacco, alcohol, and luxurious supplies, for instance, might have the duties and taxes paid on them elevated.

 

To deal with automotive theft and related crimes, automobile data that exist already in numerous businesses can merely be synchronised with out essentially subjecting automobile house owners to any monetary or different inconveniences which will come up from the haste, stress and well being dangers concerned within the VREG train.

 

The trauma skilled by Nigerians throughout the current re-registration of SIM playing cards shouldn’t be visited on them once more via the VREG.