Steep new customs duties on used cars cause havoc on Polish border

The excise duty on used cars imported to Poland rose from 15% to a maximum possible level of 65% at midnight on Saturday, causing disorder on Poland's western borders as car importers tried their best to take advantage of the outgoing tariffs. Queues reaching 12 kilometers were a norm for the past couple days. The new regulations place an excise tax of 15.1% on three year old cars with an engine of size of up to two liters, 27.1% on four year old cars, 51.1% and 65% on cars aged five years and six years or more, res pectively. For cars with engines above two liters, the figures are 25.6%, 37.6%, 49.6%, 61.6% and 65% respectively. Moreover, the price of a car card, which is issued when a used car is registered for the first time, rose from zl. 200 to zl. 500, or even zl. 1,000 if the car was imported by means of a car transport truck. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 26; Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) A.K.