Owners who fail to scrap old cars may face large fines

In Uzbekistan, owners who fail to submit their old cars for scrappage may now have to pay a fine equal to 30 times the base calculation amount. The Waste Management Agency reported this.

According to the agency, Uzbekistan will create a system for purchasing and scrapping vehicles whose service life has expired. Under the system, vehicles that were manufactured 30 or more years ago will be assessed at market value, purchased from their owners and sent for scrappage.

Various forms of payment may be used with vehicle owners. For example, an electronic voucher may be provided for the down payment on a new car, or the voucher may be converted into cash.

With electronic vouchers, consumers will be able to purchase new cars produced in Uzbekistan on preferential terms. A discount will be provided in the amount indicated in the electronic voucher, while consumers will be able to pay the remaining amount in installments over a period of more than one year.

Citizens who fail to submit their old vehicles for scrappage on time will pay an environmental compensation fee once a year in the amount of 30 times the base calculation amount.

According to available data, more than 60 countries around the world currently have systems for scrapping outdated vehicles. In particular, millions of expired vehicles are submitted for scrappage every year in France, China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Russia and other countries.

After 2000, vehicle scrappage systems began to be widely used in European countries. In France, a large-scale state program was introduced in 2002 to encourage the replacement of old cars with new and environmentally friendly vehicles. Under the program, citizens who handed over their old cars and purchased new ones were given subsidies. In Germany, the Abwrackprämie, or “scrappage bonus,” program was launched in 2009. Under the program, citizens who submitted cars older than nine years for scrappage and bought new vehicles were encouraged.

Earlier, it was reported that Uzbekistan would introduce state support measures to replace old vehicles with new ones or install filters on them.