Ugandan lawmakers want to introduce a law banning the importation of older, used cars to help reduce pollution.
The parliamentarians want to make it illegal to import cars more than eight years old, in line with a proposed harmonization across East Africa Community member countries.
The East African country has not had an age limit for imported cars.
The proposed bill also includes adding an environmental tax to cars between five and eight years old.
“The environmental levy is going to apply to vehicles, which are five years old. That is between five and eight years. Because the thinking is that the damage to the environment will not be dreadful with the cars that are below five years,” Finance Ministry Director Moses Kaggwa said.
Parliamentarians are also considering having a system similar to that in neighbouring Kenya, in which higher taxes are levied on the importation of used cars compared to the taxes imposed on new cars.
Uganda also plans to start commercial production of hybrid electric cars in this year.
It is hoped that the move will reduce the importation of used cars which are blamed for polluting the environment.
