XN000022-1996-05-31 — Page 17

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Scrapping incentive scheme invites application

The Transport Department today (Friday) announces that owners of old cars who wish to apply for the first registration tax (FRT) concession under the scrapping incentive scheme can make their applications from Monday (June 3).

The scheme was revealed by the Financial Secretary in his 96-97 Budget Speech to help improve air quality on the road by encouraging owners of private cars of 10 years old or more to scrap the vehicles and to replace them by new petrol-engine

ones.

The incentive of the scheme is a reduction in FRT of 20 per cent of the tax payable or $30,000, whichever is the lower, for the registration of the new replacement private car.

Applications for this scheme should be made to the Transport Department's Hong Kong Licensing Office on third floor, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong, from June 3.

The eligibility criteria for the scheme are:

the manufacturing year of the private car to be scrapped must be 1986 or before;

the private car has to be scrapped and de-registered after June 3;

at the date of scrapping, the private car must have been owned by the same owner for at least 24 months beforehand, and also the car must have been continuously licensed in Hong Kong for 24 months immediately beforehand;

the new replacement private car under application for the first registration should not have been registered in Hong Kong or in any other countries: and

the registered owner of the new replacement car must also be the same person as that of the old car.

A Transport Department spokesman said those eligible car owners, if interested in the scheme, should make arrangement for scrapping their old cars with any of the privately-owned car scrapping centres or with the Transport Department's Abandoned Vehicle Surrender Centres by appointments at Chi Kiang Street. To Kwa Wan, or at Wong Chuk Yeung Street, Fo Tan.