Surridge
Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter
A RECENT upsurge in reports of stolen motor vehicles islandwide has forced tax authorities to implement a lock-down system on any automobile transaction which they deem "suspicious".
The new arrangement was implemented following a frenzy of requests from customers for the department to place a look-out for vehicles which had been stolen.
A tracking system has now been put in place by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) under which the complainant is required to lodge a report with the IRD which then sets up a red alert or "stop order" for documents relating to the vehicle. This is in addition to reporting to the police.
Previously, persons who had their vehicles stolen were simply asked to report to the police and the Island Traffic Authority within 24 hours, so that a record of the incident could be maintained, giving the police a greater chance of recovering the vehicle.
But there were difficulties involved in the old process according to tax officials as often police reports were slow. In addition, the information could not be relayed to all 28 collectorates in good time.
The department now requests that a written report of the stolen vehicle be submitted to the Office of Public Relations, Inland Revenue Department at 1-3 King Street, Kingston or any of the 28 collectorates islandwide within 24 hours.
The report must include the name of the person to whom the vehicle is registered, colour of the vehicle, year of manufacture, as well as engine, chassis, and registration numbers. This information is then circulated to all 28 collectorates islandwide for notification to halt all transactions on the vehicle if any attempt is made at a tax office.
"The measures introduced are in response to the significant increase in the number of vehicles reported stolen during the last year in comparison to the previous year," said Leighton Beckles, public relations officer with the IRD. Mr. Beckles noted an instance of up to five sports utility vehicles (SUVs) reported stolen in one day.
Police reports also confirm significant increases.
In 2001, a total of 1,482 motor vehicles were reported stolen with the number jumping to 1,621 in 2002, an average of four cars per day.
CONCERNS
But there are concerns too that the auto crime wave may be linked to a resurgence in the underground trade in car parts. Noting the types of vehicles which were being stolen, president of the Motor Vehicle Repair Association, Andre Hylton, said that there could indeed be a two-fold reason for the thefts.
"It could be for the (spare) parts, because those for SUVs are usually very expensive, and parts in general are very hard to track. A person could buy a fender, and all he'd get is a receipt so even if authorities made a check he'd have his receipts to show. The only thing that could identify the car as stolen property would be the chassis or engine numbers," he said.
"Otherwise the vehicles could have been stolen simply because they are of much higher value than other popular cars, so they'll steal them for resale at a higher price."
Meanwhile another major blow has been dealt to the illegal trade in cut or 'chopped cars' through safety measures implemented by the RPD. Sources reveal that as a result of the recent drastic steps taken, some undercover dealers across the island have now been left with thousands of dollars in 'cut cars' which they have been unable to dispose of as these cannot be sold without documentation.
Under the trade which was rampant in certain sections of the island, dealers imported and offered for resale reconfigured cars and or 'clips' at prices well below the original.
"Jamaica does not manufacture cars so we have been permitting persons to import cut cars, what we would call a 'clip', rear clips, on 40 per cent duty, much less than the regular car. But what we had been getting was cars cut in half, and persons perhaps bringing the front half through Montego Bay, so you'd really have a whole car coming in for 40 per cent duty," RPD Commissioner Mike Surridge explained. "Then it had gotten very serious where persons were stealing cars in America, stripping them and importing them, putting the car together and forging a Customs C-78 form to use to get a certificate of fitness, and registering the vehicles.
"What we have now done is to link all revenue offices through a computer to Customs so that when someone produces a C-78 to register a car, the office will be able to determine whether the vehicle has come through Customs legitimately."
"So they really can't do anything unless the vehicle is registered."
He said that another loophole had been the forging of General Consumption Tax (GCT) certificates and auction registration cards to use these to register the vehicles. This practice was now being seriously addressed.
"It's easier to deal with the manufacturing and auction, than the entire group trade, because it's much less so we have successfully narrowed it down," he said.
In January, the number of forgeries caught stood at 52, by March the figure had dropped to three. There was none recorded for April. In 2001, the police recovered 274 stolen vehicles, and 285 in 2002.
