Photo from UNIAN
Some car owners cannot afford customs clearance because of the lack of money.
Chairperson of the parliament's tax and customs policy committee Nina Yuzhanina has said 263,000 cars still carry foreign number plates in violation of the temporary import or transit rules.
According to Yuzhanina, some owners of such cars cannot afford customs clearance because of the lack of money, the Ukrainian online news outlet Obozrevatel reported.
"It seems to me that 10% of such citizens are people who are in a difficult financial situation and could not find money for customs clearance. I have met with such people. These are people who have many children. They got a car for EUR 300, which couldn't be called a car for its technical specifications... They were unable to pay EUR 1,000 or EUR 1,500 in customs clearance fees for the registration of that car," she said.
The lawmaker admitted she did not know how to help such people.
"If we had at least some groups of citizens entitled to some benefits, it would create a new legal loophole. Therefore, I apologize to all such citizens and I don't know how to help them," Yuzhanina said.
According to her, the owners of the rest of the cars with foreign number plates do not even plan to undergo customs clearance.
"Some of them belong to such 'activists' who will further stage provocative activities outside the parliament's building. And some people just prepare their cars for dismantling and selling for scrap," she said.
Answering a question whether it is possible to introducing privileges for some owners of cars with foreign registration plates, she said: "The Verkhovna Rada is most likely not to vote for any amendments, therefore, after the expiration of the term in May, other legislation will become effective, and they will have to abide by the law."