Minister of Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Commerce, Dwight Sutherland, today met with a consortium of used car dealers and their brokers to outline a new vehicle policy.
This was a follow-up to meetings held in 2019 with the dealers and brokers regarding matters pertaining to the importation of vehicles.
During those meetings, Minister Sutherland had raised the issue of the vehicle policy and how it would enhance the used vehicle dealers’ industry, as well as the need to protect them against the backdrop of claims filed by used and new car dealers, which were being addressed by the Office of the Public Counsel.
The policy’s core objective is to create an enabling environment for the new, used and damaged vehicle sectors. This involves the creation of a registry of assemblers, the creation of a used car cooperative, a common valuation method for vehicles, and strengthening consumer protection within the vehicle sector.
The dealers left the meeting satisfied with the Ministry’s efforts, and now have a better understanding of what Minister Sutherland meant when he made the comment “levelling the playing field”.
He said the Ministry’s mandate is about enfranchising businesses and creating better opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses on a whole, and told the dealers that he has an open door policy and they are free to come to the Ministry and meet with him on any issue that is affecting the smooth running of their operations.