Tehran, Iran, Feb.17
Trend:
The inclusion of revenues worth $13 million from the car import in Iran’s next year budget plan has created a window to lift the ban on import of cars.
“Members of Parliament have supported the government’s plan to earn revenues from the car import and the possible amount of revenues has also been calculated. Taking into account the deficit, the probability of lifting the ban on car imports is high,” the chairman of vehicle importers association Mehdi Dadfar told Trend.
The country’s economy needs to be stable, he said, pointing out that at the moment, the trust of car exporters to Iranian economy has been lost.
“At the peak of Irans car imports in 2012, only 100,000 vehicles were imported into the country, and last year, this figure reached about 70,000 cars,” said Dadfar.
It is true that with the reduction of oil revenues, the government seeks to earn revenues in other ways, one of which is to lift the ban on car imports, he added.
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) released its 9-month economic performance report on February 10, which shows an unprecedented budget deficit.
Even if the United States grants additional waivers in May for countries to keep buying Iranian oil at close to current levels, Iran’s economic pain this year will get worse. The International Monetary Fund expects the economy to shrink by more than 3 percent, as foreign investment dries up and Iranian industries struggle to purchase goods they need to stay in business.
On January 1st, after months of squabbling over shutting down the online auto import registration system by the government, the website resumed work.
The government passed an amended version of auto import rules, according to which, depending on engine capacity, import tariffs on gasoline-fueled vehicles have increased 15-40 percent.
According to the new rules, vehicles costing more than $40,000 are barred from entering Iran. The cap includes the vehicle’s transportation costs. Moreover, henceforth instead of the previous CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) method to calculate the customs duty, the CFR (Cost and Freight) system will be applied.
A list of models that can be imported has been published on the TPO website. It includes BMW, DS, Hyundai, Toyota, MG, Borgward, Renault, SEAT, SsangYong, Foton, Citroen, Volkswagen, KIA, Mitsubishi and Nissan. Two luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, are not on the list.