Owners of illegally imported vehicles can reduce their levy obligations by 10 per cent if they pay them before the end of this year, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE).

The customs department said in a statement on September 9 that it would grant a 10 per cent reduction in import taxes and other duties until December 31, pursuant to applicable laws and regulations and limited to vehicles made before 2021.

The GDCE underscored that it would also waive related fines and other penalties until June 30, 2022.

However, owners of right-hand drive vehicles must still convert them to left-hand drive by June 30 or risk having them seized, dismantled or destroyed.

Kim Panha, director of Asia Injury Prevention Foundation Cambodia, told The Post that the reduction of 10 per cent to incentivise people to pay their taxes and make their vehicles legal was a good initiative.

He said that during the pandemic people did not profit much from their businesses and it was a good decision to offer these tax and duty reductions.

But for the future, he urged the government to strictly enforce import taxes and duties on vehicles because no vehicle should be driving on the roads without having paid taxes.

“If we don’t strictly enforce these measures, evading taxes on vehicles will remain a problem in the future.

“If the vehicles belong to the state, the state can manage it however they want. But private vehicles must absolutely not hide under state number plates to avoid taxes while ordinary people have to pay full taxes and duties according to the law,” he said.