I became entitled to a Vehicle Quota in 1979. I wanted to buy a TOYOTA Corona sedan. The CIF Phuentsholing price then was Nu.64,000.00. The problem was - I did not have the money. However, the Bank of Bhutan was offering 50% of the cost price as loan which meant that I needed Nu.32,000.00. I did not have that either. So I travelled all the way to Gelephu to speak to my favorite uncle to ask him for a loan. He looked at me and said; "You are asking the bank for 50% loan of the cost … and you are asking me for the other 50% as a loan. This means you are buying your famous TOYOTA Corona car with 100% loan. Tell me, how are you going to be able to repay the loan?" I said; "I do not know."
He said; "Forget it – I will give you the asking Nu.32,000.00 free – go and buy your car." Nu.32,000.00 in 1979 was a whole lot of money – but my late uncle loved me dearly.
When I returned to the STCB in Phuentsholing to make my portion of the down payment of Nu.32,000.00, I was informed that I need to put in Nu.34,000.00 and not Nu.32,000.00, because the price of the car had appreciated since I last spoke to them. I was crestfallen – I did not have the additional Nu.2,000.00. Thus my chance to use my vehicle quota to import a car slipped away and that was the first and last time I ever attempted to use a vehicle quota in my life.
Those days the civil servants were of a different vein – they never misused the vehicle quota entitlement for monetary gains.
Much later, after I resigned from the civil service and became successful in business, I became financially capable to own a car – I did own few of them over the years - but I never bought a vehicle quota. I do not intend to begin to do so now.
Truth be told, the most significant segment of my life’s journey began as a consequence of this vehicle quota and my inability to use it – a story to be told another day.
Having posted my article on the Vehicle Quota issue yesterday, I learnt from the KUENSEL that the vehicle quota is being proposed to be monetized. I am encouraged – but not entirely happy with all of the proposals.
It seems that some will still be allowed quota and import of vehicles. It is said that the Ministry of Finance will monitor and enforce the rules strictly. Is this a joke? Are we saying that the rule that the vehicle quotas shall not be sold or transferred was not there already? Has it prevented the beneficiaries from selling them with impunity? In fact the talk going around sometime back was that the MPs had formed a syndicate and had fixed a TOYOTA Prado’s quota selling price at Nu.2.5 million.
I urge the government and the lawmakers to forget this import allocation to some select group of people. I can guarantee you that it will continue to be misused, as in the past. The morality of the Bhutanese people has not undergone a sea change in the last year or so. Recall the shameful incident that occurred with respect to vehicle quota, at the start of the PDP tenure. If the government is in the mood to be generous, allocate a fixed sum of vehicle allowance to this select group of people – but please do away entirely with the quota. No IDEC should be issued ever for import of private vehicles – everyone should pay the duties and taxes. The select group of people for whom import quota is contemplated can use the allowance to pay for the duties and taxes.
Let us begin the process of mending the moral decay that has set in into the Bhutanese morality.
Greetings, I strongly support and respect your take on the vechile quota system. I was also encouraged and applauded the pay commission for recommending the govt to monitize the quota system. Monetizing has various advantages. Some already have their cars way before they are entitled for their quota that there is no point of adding some more cars in the land by selling their quota. A civil servant has choice whether to buy a car by adding some cash on the monitised money or invest that monitised money something productive while driving his or her existing car. With vechile quota, even if I dont buy a car, there would be a car in my name. And in case of couple civil servants, they won't buy use both their quotas. So helplessly one of their quotas will be in market for sale. Only those so called rich import vechile in our quotas who actually can really afford to pay full tax. Except few, most of the civil servants cant afford to import posh vechile onbtheir own.
ReplyDeleteAnd MPS if they are elected again and again, will they import duty free cars eberythime they assume their office. I have heard that some sell their prado quota and buy themselves a small car. Two cars out of a quota in this case.
With monetization,
1. vechile population will go down
2. Civil servants dontt have to persue corrupt business quota transaction.
3. Civil servants can invest the monitised quota into something productive if they already own their cars. (Cant imagine, with existing quota system, how many vechile will be there on land in all civil servants tenure. Every after 7 years a civil servant is entitled quota. Will I be updating my car everytime I am entitled quota? Even if I afford to do so, where will my old car go? I drive new and my old will be owned by others I see. )
4. Rich will naturally buy paying tax going by their socail status. So govt will gain in taxes. Currently affordable ones buy quotas at cheaper rate from civil servants and import huge taxable cars.
Seems like I am trying to educate you on the issue la. While expressing my opinions, I was just pouring out everything that surfaced my mind. So dont take that I am considering you ignorant on the subject.