Laos Launches Inspection on Car Dealers to Curb Illegal Imports

• Nov 15, 2019

The Lao government has instructed dealers who import and sell vehicles to present their documents no later than November 29, in a move to address illegal vehicle imports.

Those who fail to present their documents may lose their business license and will not be allowed to import vehicles, according to Vientiane Times.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce will monitor and collect statistics from dealers whose activities and standard of service is in doubt.

The government has also instructed the relevant sectors to take stronger action to address the issue of illegal imports as many vehicle owners have not paid taxes.

The Lao customs sector has been seeking to resolve such issues for many years since it has caused the country significant amounts of revenue loss.

Between 2015 and 2016, for example, the government expected to collect revenue of LAK 2,426 billion (USD 273 million,) but it only was able to collect LAK 1,828 billion, accounting for 75.3 percent of the target.

During this period, more than 5,000 illegally imported vehicles were impounded.

Vientiane Times quoted the customs department as saying that some of them were destined for ministries, government departments, and individuals, but were imported by dealerships which failed to follow the proper procedures.

Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2019/11/15/laos-launches-inspection-on-car-dealers-to-curb-illegal-imports/