Traffic police have been prevented from fining owners of second-hand vehicles for not having proper registration documents, a Government official said.
Vu Duc Dam requests lowering registration fees on second-hand vehicles
Vu Duc Dam, Chairman of the Government Office, made the request at the Government’s regular meeting on November 29.
“The idea of a regulation on fining the owners of second-hand vehicles for not having their names on registration documents is rather new. Previous regulations concentrated on the owners and not the vehicles,” Dam commented.
He said that the regulation would be difficult to enforce and cause public controversy, adding that the Government has made a request to the Ministry of Justice to review the situation and find an adequate solution as soon as possible.
He cited the ministry's reports that said that even though the fines would be legal, there were two major obstacles to their implementation.
The first is the traffic police themselves. It would be difficult, he said, for police to verify the authenticity of registration documents.
The Government has assigned the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with other ministries and State agencies to compile a circular on the guidance for proper implementation of Decree 71.
“Until this circular is issued traffic police should not be allowed to apply the fine," he said.
The second obstacle to enforcement is the amount of the registration fees, which are quite high in comparison with the value of second-hand vehicles, as well as complicated bureaucratic procedures.
He added that the Government requested a reduction of the registration fees and simplification to procedures.
Recently, voters in Ba Dinh, Ba Vi, Cau Giay and Hoan Kiem Districts in Hanoi have petitioned the Government to adjust Decree 71 to allow vehicle owners to complete the required procedures.
The Ministry of Pulblic Security requested a halt to regulation on the fine on November 13, just three days after taking effect due to these public concerns.
The Minister of Finance, Vuong Dinh Hue, instructed agencies to re-assess registration fees for second-hand cars following widespread opposition to Decree 71.
