This update provides important information that all motor vehicle traders and their sales and customer support teams should be aware of.
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June 2023
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to another edition of the Need-to-Know newsletter for 2023.
In this newsletter, Waka Kotahi has provided useful information regarding changes to the Clean Car Standard and the Clean Car Discounts coming in from June/July 2023. Please familiarise yourself with the changes and follow the links to read more.
Also, in this newsletter, we alert you to a recent sentencing where we successfully prosecuted Jessie Lee Gettins who was fined $13,000 for trading while unregistered. As always, this is a good reminder to keep your registration details up to date. This helps provide your customers with confidence that you are keeping up with best practice and act according to legislation.
Take care, work safely, and thank you for reading this edition of Need-to-Know.
If you have any comments or suggestions for future Need-to-Know editions, email us.
Duncan Connor
Registrar of Motor Vehicle Traders
In this update:
- Unregistered trader conviction
- Prohibited cash transactions for specified high-value goods
- New air pollution ratings to help clear the air
- Changes to Clean Car Standard and Clean Car Discount in June and July
- New study shows safety rating knowledge gap
- Tax invoices/receipts
Unregistered trader conviction
Following an investigation by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Ms Jessie Lee Gettins was convicted of breaching the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003 (MVSA) after selling 11 vehicles online while unregistered as a Motor Vehicle Trader.
This was not Ms Gettins' first conviction of this offence. In 2016, Gettins was also convicted of selling vehicles while being unregistered as a Motor Vehicle Trader and fined $18,000.
Under section 95 of the MVSA it is an offence to sell more than six vehicles in a 12-month period, and those found breaking the law could face fines of up to $50,000 for an individual or $200,000 for a company.
Prohibited cash transactions for specified high-value goods
There have been some changes to the rules around cash transactions under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. It makes it harder for criminals to use or move cash anonymously through the purchase or sale of these high-value goods.
We encourage you to read more about this through the DIA website to ensure you’re acting within the law.
New air pollution ratings to help clear the air
Last year, research published on the Ministry for the Environment's website revealed the impact vehicle air pollution is having on the health of our children and communities. It showed that vehicle air pollution is estimated to be responsible for up to 2,200 premature deaths in New Zealand, and over 13,000 cases of asthma in children, much higher than previously realised.
In response to this, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has published new air pollution star ratings on the Rightcar website. The new ratings incorporate health-based data for the first time, providing New Zealanders with quick and easy information about the impact that vehicle has on air quality and our health. The more stars a vehicle has, the less air pollution it creates.
Changes to Clean Car Standard and Clean Car Discount in June and July
Changes to the Clean Car Standard (CCS) and Clean Car Discount (CCD) are set to take effect in coming months. The Clean Car Standard is aimed at importers and the Clean Car Discount is aimed at buyers, and the two programmes work together to influence the supply and demand for zero and low-emission vehicles.
Clean Car Standard changes
From 1 June 2023:
- Importers on the CCS Pay As You Go (PAYG) scheme need to start paying charges on vehicles as they accept them in their CO2 account.
- PAYG importers need to make a one-off payment for charges incurred between 1 January and 31 May.
- Credits under the CCS scheme can be used to offset charges or be transferred to other accounts.
Clean Car Standard changes information on the Waka Kotahi website
Clean Car Discount changes
From 1 July 2023, rebates and fees for the Clean Car Discount will be changing. Some of the changes are:
- A special rebate for new and used low emission disability vehicles will be introduced.
- For new vehicles, the maximum rebate will decrease, and the maximum fee will increase.
- The threshold at which vehicles will be subject to fees will reduce from 192 grams of CO2 per kilometre to 150 grams.
Clean Car Discount changes information on the Waka Kotahi website
Information for car dealers about getting ready for the 1 July changes
New study shows safety rating knowledge gap
Kiwi car owners, buyers and dealers alike are being urged to prioritise safety, following new research that found many people don’t know the safety rating of their cars.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says the research found 86% of the owners of one and two-star safety rated cars surveyed did not know the current rating of their vehicle or over-estimated it.
That means many New Kiwis have a potentially life-saving knowledge gap we urge them to address and ask dealers to be proactive about too, says Senior Manager Road Safety Fabian Marsh, as people are twice as safe in a five-star vehicle than in a one-star.
As intended, the research is helping inform Waka Kotahi’s ongoing work, including with motor vehicle dealers – who have a key role through your purchasing decisions and customer interactions.
Tax invoices/receipts
We have noticed an increase in the number of requests for a copy of the tax invoice/receipt from traders.
To ensure that you receive a tax invoice/receipt, you need to enter your email address in the Email GST Invoice to field of the Pay Now screen, as shown above. GST Invoices are only displayed on the screen unless an email address is supplied.
