Customs Move On Australians’ Cars

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30103, 10 April 1963, Page 14

Customs Move On Australians’ Cars

(New Zealcnd Press Association)

DUNEDIN, April 9. The Customs Department is acting against Australians who bring almost new cars into New Zealand, sell them and make £3OO to £5OO on each deal, according to an authoritative source in Dunedin.

He says the Australians bring the cars into the country as baggage, pay no duty and sales tax because they tell the Customs they intend to live in the Dominion permanently. They have free title to the

car and after it has gone through the Customs they can please themselves what they do with it. Instead of becoming permanent residents they sell the car, make tke profit and return to Australia. It is not known how many cars have come into New Zealand in this way, but it is believed that most have gone through Auckland or Wellington.

The department intends to get tax and duty from Australiaos it thinks may not intend to stay permanently If they do stay they get a refund at tax.

Australians, who obviously intend to stay, will not be affected by the move. They will still be able to bring their cars in tax and duty free The main restriction on Australians who wish to bring cars in duty and tax free, is that they must have owned and used them in Australia for at least 12 months. But those Australians who have been making money out of the trade in cars seem to be able to avoid this.

One theory is that they buy a badly-damaged late model car for a low price and then

get the ownership papers which are in the name of the previous owner. Then they buy another car. usually the same model, which is in good order, and present the damaged car's papers to the Australian Customs to get clearance for taking it as baggage to New Zealand. They make sure that the previous owner of the damaged car owned it for at least 12 months before it was smashed. AH these transactions, according to theory, are done in the name of the previous owner.