On Wednesday, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador made a word on a long-term problem. Which is with illegally imported cars, saying that those illegally imported cars will be legalized.
This new policy allows Mexican residents to register their cars which are bought from the United States and drive them in Mexico without registration. Entering into the story, Mexican residents who are commonly residing on the border of the United States buy second-hand cars in the US and smuggle them to their country. Recently, State Security minister Rosa Rodriguez said that it has been figured that there are more than 5,00,000 unregistered vehicles in Baja California state alone which are used in crimes.
There is a huge impact on the Mexican Auto industry, They called this scenario the reward for the criminal mafia and corrupt bureaucracy. The Mexican Association of Automotive Distributors (AMDA) predicted that there is a 30% drop in the new car sales due to the heavy usage and easy trafficking and smuggling of the cars.
To solve it rationally, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador discussed with the concerned authorities and addressed the root cause for these smuggled cars. The president said that Mexicans can now legally import cars, which are only later model cars that satisfy the safety and pollution standards, and also should pay import obligations. On Tuesday, AMDA director Guillermo Rosales said that “It is a mistake to legalize smuggled vehicles … It will have an impact on the economy, as well as create concerning environmental pollution and insecurity that threatens people’s lives.”
Lopez Obrador also opinioned that since many poor families cannot afford cars and they need them to go to work, therefore legalizing these junk cars and giving permits will stabilize the auto market of the country which is suffering.
“We are going to legalize all of them, we are going to give them a permit, we are going to recognize them as owners of the vehicle, Because there are a lot of people who use these cars because they don’t have the money to buy a new car, and with these cars, they take their children to school and carry out their activities.” Said the President.
He said that this program will start soon in the northern border states, where the usage of these smuggled cars is more common, and later process it to other states. President said that the funds collected from the tax to legalize the illegal cars will be used for the development of the regional roads.
