Heavy fines mulled for violating second-hand car sales cap

ISTANBUL

The government is preparing to impose heavy fines, up to 300,000 Turkish Liras ($16,400), on those who violate a recent regulation that introduced certain restrictions on the sale of second-hand cars.

According to the new rules, those who engage in the trade of second-hand cars will not be able to sell their vehicle for six months from the first date of registration of the vehicle or until the car covers at least 6,000 kilometers.

However, officials from the Trade Ministry, who launched inspections last week, found that some dealers are violating the rule.

They found advertisements on websites for cars put up for sale as second-hand vehicles that purportedly have covered 6,001 kilometers. Officials established that those ads were put out by individuals who have direct connections with car dealership owners.

The ministry is now working on a legislation that would increase the fine from the current 8,000 liras to up to 300,000 liras for those who engage in such fraudulent activities. The new legislation is expected to be brought before parliament as soon as MPs return from recess on Oct. 1, they said.

Officials added that websites that run those advertisements are not considered offenders, thus the fines will not be imposed on them. Only the dealerships that engage in such fraudulent actions will be determined and fined, they explained.

The new regulation will be in effect through July 2023, and the Trade Ministry is authorized to extend it by another six months.