Importing A Car To Sl

[JadeyBlitzen]

Hi guys! I'm looking to ship a car from the uk to sl at some point in the near future. and it could be anything between a fiat 500 and a range rover

can you guys please explain what sort of taxes i'd be looking at i.e. based on engine capacity, vehicle type, taxable options such as abs and airbags or of the notorious sports car tax if it really does exist.

i know that we aren't supposed to import a vehicle thats more than 3 years (so classics are definitely out) but does that change when the vehicle has been in our posession for a certain number of years?

also what sort of documents, and legal stuff that i should be aware of?

Many thanks

p.s. i'm shipping a few aftermarket suspension and brake components to sl in may. i have no idea what sort of taxes or legal issues im looking at. has anyone got any experience on this matter?

[Devinda_Z]

there have been a few threads on "Blue Permits" and car permits - those will have most of the info you need...

troll through this as a start

http://www.gic.gov.lk/department_home_disp...S16&did=d05

http://www.customs.gov.lk/

[JadeyBlitzen]

thanks mate! but i'm still not aware of the sort of taxes charged on imported cars

[Devinda_Z]

thanks mate! but i'm still not aware of the sort of taxes charged on imported cars

xXx how about some specifics in to exactly how much of duty goes into a normal import , just so we can get an idea of how this works out?

it would be awesome if someone could use an example like a common import (Allion or Swift lets say?) from Japan and compare the cost break down with a Vios (from Singapore or wherever) so that those on the forum can get an idea of how the duty and other costs add up..

[maliths]

thanks mate! but i'm still not aware of the sort of taxes charged on imported cars

As far as I know there is the Gift Permit where:

You can send a petrol vehicle below 1800cc or diesel below 2300cc Jeep below 3000cc

but the vehicle should be no more than 5 years old

The other way is exchange earned abroad (where you have worked aborad and come back to SL)

you can import a vehicle nomore than 5 years old - you have to have used the car abroad for atleast 1 year before sending to SL

Or

you can import a vehicle no more than 10 years old - you have to have used it abroad for atleast 3 years before sending to SL

In all of the above cases I think you will pay the normal taxes imposed on all car imports the only benefit you get is that you can import a slightly older vehicle (5 years or 10 years) so you will pay less tax because of depeciation. Someone correct me if Im wrong here.

[xXx]

In all of the above cases I think you will pay the normal taxes imposed on all car imports the only benefit you get is that you can import a slightly older vehicle (5 years or 10 years) so you will pay less tax because of depeciation. Someone correct me if Im wrong here.

you are spot on maliths. there's no change in tax and duty percentiles when importing a vehicle through a gift or blue permit. advantage is the ability to import an older vehicle. so if anyone's planning to import a vehicle through these schemes make sure to take full advantage of the age bracket.

[xXx]

xXx how about some specifics in to exactly how much of duty goes into a normal import , just so we can get an idea of how this works out?

it would be awesome if someone could use an example like a common import (Allion or Swift lets say?) from Japan and compare the cost break down with a Vios (from Singapore or wherever) so that those on the forum can get an idea of how the duty and other costs add up..

to be honest with you the formula is very complected. to make things worse the duty is actually calculated in Yen and then converted to rupees in accordance with the CBSL rate on the day you make the payment. so forex too play a role in causing discrepancies. then agents make things worse by giving absurd valuations.

duty percenties are the same no mater which country the vehicel is imported from. advantage of bringing vehicels down from singapore is the low CIF value compared to a japanies import.

back in the days this was very visible. same car imported form Singapore was much cheaper than the one imported from Japan even though the singaporean one had extra options like leather seats and reverse sensors.

[xXx]

it could be anything between a fiat 500 and a range rover

that's very brave of you to bring down a RR. last time when i crunched some numbers total cost of duty was well over 8 figures. maybe gummy can tell us (if that doesn't cause a threat to his job) how much Frontier pay as duty for a brand new one? duty for a recon one will be about 20% less of that figure.

[rman2000]

car prices are quite low now due to the recession and for example an Audi A4 was £ 3995 last weekend (2 day sale) and cars such as 2005 March can be bought for £ 4500,2005 Honda Accord around £4500 jadey checkout Car Craft showrooms if you want to have an idea (larger the car higher the insurance so larger cars are bit cheaper )

anyways my question is this ,how much is the duty for a car imported to SL,for example I import a 2005 March bought for £ 4500 (Rs 730 000 in todays exchange rate) how much will I be paying at the end of it all,is it really worth it? roughly whats the % that I can save by importing than by buying locally in SL?

to be honest with you the formula is very complected. to make things worse the duty is actually calculated in Yen and then converted to rupees in accordance with the CBSL rate on the day you make the payment. so forex too play a role in causing discrepancies. then agents make things worse by giving absurd valuations.

duty percenties are the same no mater which country the vehicel is imported from. advantage of bringing vehicels down from singapore is the low CIF value compared to a japanies import.

back in the days this was very visible. same car imported form Singapore was much cheaper than the one imported from Japan even though the singaporean one had extra options like leather seats and reverse sensors.

[JadeyBlitzen]

that's very brave of you to bring down a RR. last time when i crunched some numbers total cost of duty was well over 8 figures. maybe gummy can tell us (if that doesn't cause a threat to his job) how much Frontier pay as duty for a brand new one? duty for a recon one will be about 20% less of that figure.

i was thinking more in terms of a p38. the holland and holland edition is a very nice car. even the bmw rrs are going well below £10000 nowadays. the idea was to buy one thats 7 years old use it for 3 and ship it to sl when its 10 years old. but with the recession is getting so bad i might leave as early as next year. so i'll have to ship a car like a normal dealer would. which would make buying a rr rather pointless.

car prices are quite low now due to the recession and for example an Audi A4 was £ 3995 last weekend (2 day sale) and cars such as 2005 March can be bought for £ 4500,2005 Honda Accord around £4500 jadey checkout Car Craft showrooms if you want to have an idea (larger the car higher the insurance so larger cars are bit cheaper )

anyways my question is this ,how much is the duty for a car imported to SL,for example I import a 2005 March bought for £ 4500 (Rs 730 000 in todays exchange rate) how much will I be paying at the end of it all,is it really worth it? roughly whats the % that I can save by importing than by buying locally in SL?

not that you've mentioned the accord a type s would be a really nice car to be shipped to sl. plus they are better built than the jap version. i was considering the rx8 as well. it has less power the jap spec models but i'm guessing they are more solidly built.

can someone please explain the percentage of taxes (roughly) charged on an imported car? i got some idea on what a used car would cost calculated against its brand new version available in sri lanka with the depreciation subtracted. how is it calculated for a car thats not available brand new in sri lanka?

i've heard the basic tax is 300% of the value of the car. how rite is this?

[maliths]

how is it calculated for a car thats not available brand new in sri lanka?

i've heard the basic tax is 300% of the value of the car. how rite is this?

I've also wondered how customs would get a valuation if there isnt an agent for a vehicle in SL.

Sometime ago tax on new cars was about 325% i think. I heard now its about 400% dunno for sure.

[Devinda_Z]

i've heard the basic tax is 300% of the value of the car. how rite is this?

greater for diesels i though?

[Devinda_Z]

not that you've mentioned the accord a type s would be a really nice car to be shipped to sl. plus they are better built than the jap version. i was considering the rx8 as well. it has less power the jap spec models but i'm guessing they are more solidly built.

i'm sorry , but that comment doesn't make a whole lot of sense?!

[Devinda_Z]

i was thinking more in terms of a p38. the holland and holland edition is a very nice car. even the bmw rrs are going well below £10000 nowadays. the idea was to buy one thats 7 years old use it for 3 and ship it to sl when its 10 years old. but with the recession is getting so bad i might leave as early as next year. so i'll have to ship a car like a normal dealer would. which would make buying a rr rather pointless.

i'm afraid the P38 is something best avoided unless you have deep pockets which you enjoy reaching into and emptying every so often

Edited February 20, 2009 by Devinda_Z

[Devinda_Z]

I've also wondered how customs would get a valuation if there isnt an agent for a vehicle in SL.

yeah i was wondering the same thing!

the thought originally crossed my mind when that Aston Martin was imported...

oh& how about the Lotus'?

[JadeyBlitzen]

greater for diesels i though?

definitely

i'm sorry , but that comment doesn't make a whole lot of sense?!

uk spec cars are somewhat very different to jap spec. and the accord is made in swindon. so its way better built than say a honda built in suzuka. in case you guys havent noticed japanese cars are sort of built to be recycled in a few years whereas european spec cars are built to be used a lot longer. same goes for american cars i think. i havent got any actual proof but i always feel this way when i get into the same car made in japan or the uk. and a lot of sri lankan expats agree on that

i'm afraid the P38 is something best avoided unless you have deep pockets which you enjoy reaching into and emptying every so often

i see where you are coming from. but i'm just a big fan of the rover v8. the special eds were way better than u got in the L322 too and dont even get me started on the overfinch p38s

[maliths]

definitely

uk spec cars are somewhat very different to jap spec. and the accord is made in swindon. so its way better built than say a honda built in suzuka. in case you guys havent noticed japanese cars are sort of built to be recycled in a few years whereas european spec cars are built to be used a lot longer. same goes for american cars i think. i havent got any actual proof but i always feel this way when i get into the same car made in japan or the uk. and a lot of sri lankan expats agree on that

Jadey

the euro accord is not made in Swindon anylonger. Swindon only make the Civic and the CRV now. and believe me the Swindon built quality from my experiacne has been utter crap. I have a Swindon built Civic and it has given me so many problems due to shoddy build quality. I would take a jap built one anyday. The current accord and the previous one were both built in Jap and the quality is very good.

[Devinda_Z]

uk spec cars are somewhat very different to jap spec. and the accord is made in swindon. so its way better built than say a honda built in suzuka. in case you guys havent noticed japanese cars are sort of built to be recycled in a few years whereas european spec cars are built to be used a lot longer. same goes for american cars i think. i havent got any actual proof but i always feel this way when i get into the same car made in japan or the uk.

i was waiting for someone who's actually used it for a long enough period of time to comment on it ( as MalithS quite rightly did) , rather that me try to disagree with you with just a few days worth of usage experience to base my comments upon

in case you guys havent noticed japanese cars are sort of built to be recycled in a few years whereas european spec cars are built to be used a lot longer. same goes for american cars i think

i'll let MadMax tell you how good american cars are...

[Devinda_Z]

i see where you are coming from. but i'm just a big fan of the rover v8. the special eds were way better than u got in the L322 too and dont even get me started on the overfinch p38s

no no , it has absolutely nothing to do with the fuel consumption

read up or better ye , speak to some owners about the P38's supremely comforatble air suspension set up and its rather unfortunate horrors...

i fully agree those things were speced to fit Royalty.. but...

lovely to see and be seen in - but not for the faint hearted to own - assuming your not , then all the very best to you should you so much as dare to own one

[JadeyBlitzen]

Jadey

the euro accord is not made in Swindon anylonger. Swindon only make the Civic and the CRV now. and believe me the Swindon built quality from my experiacne has been utter crap. I have a Swindon built Civic and it has given me so many problems due to shoddy build quality. I would take a jap built one anyday. The current accord and the previous one were both built in Jap and the quality is very good.

thanks for the info. i was actually waiting for someone to clarify this. however i'd like to point out that brits are lazy race and they can never achieve the tediousness you may find on a jap built car. even if its not built to last so long

i'll let MadMax tell you how good american cars are...

i meant the american cars arent built to last as long as their european counterparts

no no , it has absolutely nothing to do with the fuel consumption

read up or better ye , speak to some owners about the P38's supremely comforatble air suspension set up and its rather unfortunate horrors...

i fully agree those things were speced to fit Royalty.. but...

lovely to see and be seen in - but not for the faint hearted to own - assuming your not , then all the very best to you should you so much as dare to own one

yep. thats exactly what i was talking about. luckily people here are trying solve the problem by fitting basic aftermarket items and piggybacking the control system with various degrees of success.

not something i'd wanna do though

[Devinda_Z]

i meant the american cars arent built to last as long as their european counterparts

ah good we're on the same page then

[xXx]

I've also wondered how customs would get a valuation if there isnt an agent for a vehicle in SL.

Sometime ago tax on new cars was about 325% i think. I heard now its about 400% dunno for sure.

when an agent is not present they use services of a company's who carry out valuations

yup tax amount alone comes to about 350% if its over 1800cc it's arround 425% hence why the post 01/02 1.8 version of the Allion is not a common sight

[xXx]

anyways my question is this ,how much is the duty for a car imported to SL,for example I import a 2005 March bought for £ 4500 (Rs 730 000 in todays exchange rate) how much will I be paying at the end of it all,is it really worth it? roughly whats the % that I can save by importing than by buying locally in SL?

you can buy a march for that price from Japan itself. so you won't be saving any money but you will attract a very big headache from the 'tax man' lol

my advice is if you boys are to bring down a car from europe bring a euro brand/make. car prices in Japan has dropped as well due to poor demand. if you bring a euro brand at least you'll make a saving on the initial cost of the car not necessarily on the custom duty amount unless you use a permit.

talking about euro brands keep it simple. stick to either a merc or a BMW so you can atleast have some hope of recovering some of the cost. other models will turn some heads and you'll even hear some WOW's when driving around but you bank account won't be too happy when it's time to dish it.

[JadeyBlitzen]

when an agent is not present they use services of a company's who carry out valuations

yup tax amount alone comes to about 350% if its over 1800cc it's arround 425% hence why the post 01/02 1.8 version of the Allion is not a common sight

now we are talking. so the vehicle is valued by those services and does it mean 2007 golf gt 1.4tsi will be valued at same 1.6 mil we'd be buying it for? or do we mention a smaller price like we may on getting anything through customs and the value detemined is more or less the value we mentioned? or does this equation involve rocket science?

[xXx]

now we are talking. so the vehicle is valued by those services and does it mean 2007 golf gt 1.4tsi will be valued at same 1.6 mil we'd be buying it for?

NO. i believe senok is the agents for VW so they'll carry out the valuation.

or do we mention a smaller price like we may on getting anything through customs and the value detemined is more or less the value we mentioned? or does this equation involve rocket science?

undervalue invoicing stunt doesn't work because of the agent valuation process.