The downtown Kyiv is blocked, and the car traffic in the city's government quarter went to a halt. It is due to protests by the drivers of cars with EU license plates; at about 6 a.m., about a hundred cars blocked the major passage in the city center, paralyzing the traffic in that area.
According to NGO AvtoYevroSyla (AutoEuroPower, - 112 International), the car drivers joined the rally called 'Action for Protection and Customs Clearance'. They demand that the government approve the police checks of the cars with foreign license plates and apply sanctions according to the customs law.
The drivers say they intend to make the rally a timeless event until the government agrees to their conditions.
No violations of public order are reported. The police hold the cordon around the Parliament's building.
Earlier, UNIAN reported that sales of used cars in Ukraine’s primary market formed by imports grew by 78% in year-over-year terms in March 2018, to 7,400 units. Second-hand vehicles accounted for 52% of the country’s primary market of passenger cars, the press service of the Ukrautoprom Association has informed.
The rise in the share of used vehicles in the primary market is believed to be due to the fact that a lower excise duty on imports of used cars is about to expire at the end of the current year. The increase is also allegedly linked to a drop in the average offer price of such vehicles, as eight-year-old cars are also subject to the reduced rate in 2018.
“In March, Volkswagen used cars ranked first among imported second-hand automobiles. 1,252 Volkswagen vehicles acquired Ukrainian license plates. Renault came close second, with 1,126 used vehicles, while 696 Skoda automobiles were freshly equipped with Ukrainian license plates,” the report said.
