The deception committed in connection to information or characteristics of the vehicles could be punished by imprisonment for 2 to 5 years, according to a legislative initiative submitted by a group of Liberal MPs.
The initiative is to complete the Criminal Code offense of “cheating on vehicle data or characteristics”, punishable by imprisonment by 2-5 years. “The data and characteristics of the vehicle mean: identification, provenance, changes and interventions, service, repairs and road accidents history of the vehicle. The act is an offense,” reads the draft bill.
The initiators claim, in the explanatory document, they aim at discouraging the transactions with vehicles whose data or features are rigged or false and therefore at increasing the safety on public roads. “In these particular cases the primary concern of the state is to ensure traffic safety, while secondary interest is to protect the deceived ones”, PNL lawmakers Alexandru Nazare, Cristian Roman, Andreea Paul, Mihai Tararache, Costel Alexe, Anton Dobos, Florin Alexe, Virgil Guran and Erland Cocei claim.
The Senate is the first Chamber notified.
A recently issued survey revealed that about 80% of the used cars on sale in Romania have had their mileage recorder altered, an issue generating both financial and technical problems for customers.
“The mileage wagging back generates two major problems. On the one hand, the real usage of the car is not known, and on the other hand the dealers of used cars cannot cope with the unfair competition from middlemen who sell cars at much more attractive prices, because the mileage is altered and that they have no obligation regarding the guarantee of paying fees. The final customer and the economy are the ones to lose,” said Mihai Cune, founder and CEO of InspectorAuto.ro.
The first of the problems is affecting the expenditures for repairs and the maintenance costs of a car, but even the safety of the car. The mileage is an indication of wearing down for all the components of a car.
The second issue is affecting the economy. In Romania, in 2014 were imported 220,000 used cars, of which InspectorAuto.ro estimates that only about 30% for own use, and the remaining 70% were resold, being imported to be traded. Had this trade be made by auto dealers, not by individuals, it would have generated jobs and revenues to the state budget.
The amounts collected from VAT for the sold cars allegedly would amount to about EUR 159 million, taking into account an average price of EUR 5.000/car, the survey revealed.