Cartell welcomes the Proposed Swappage Scheme

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) are today calling for the introduction of a  ‘Swappage’ scheme in this year Budget. The scheme would work similarly to the scrappage scheme which was recently successful in boosting new car sales in the industry. Under the proposal, vehicles which are six years or older can be traded for a new car and receive in return a reduction of €2,000 on the VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax). Effectively this would reduce the cost of buying a new car by that amount.

As Used Car History Check expert Cartell has revealed earlier in the year, the average age of a private vehicle in Ireland is increasing – 8.25 years in February up from 8 years in Q3 2012. This would leave the owner of the average vehicle in Ireland eligible for a VRT rebate if a new car was sought.

Cartell  supports the initiative insofar as it seeks to create up to 2,200 new jobs both directly and indirectly and could benefit the Exchequer to the tune of an estimated €129 million.

John Byrne, Legal Manager, Cartell.ie, says: “Insofar as this scheme seeks to stimulate industry growth by creating jobs and making new car purchases more affordable we welcome the plan. The average age of the fleet in Ireland, as documented serially by Cartell.ie shows that the  owner of an average private vehicle in Ireland would be eligible for the scheme at a time when there are signs of recovery in the global automotive sector.”

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email john@cartell dot ie or check out www.cartell.ie for further information