Cuba Opens Car Sales to Individuals
By Circles Robinson
HAVANA TIMES, Sept. 30 — As of this Saturday, buying a used car in Cuba is no big deal, as long as you have the money to do so. Selling a car had been previously limited to pre 1959 revolution vehicles.
The new regulations also allow Cubans living on the island as well as foreign permanent residents to own more than one vehicle.
Cars can change hands by donation, inheritance or sale between individuals. Both the seller and buyer will play a flat 4% tax (on the sale price) as part of the streamlined vehicle legalization process.
Notaries will maintain a minimum reference amount for each type and year vehicle in case the declared amount by the two parties is less.
The tax increases by 50% on each additional vehicle owned by the same person.
Allowing individuals to buy and sell vehicles has been a long-term demand by much of the population.
With the average wage in Cuba under $20 USD a month, the new measure will especially benefit Cubans who receive considerable family remittances from abroad.
So can I buy a car? NOPE! Not as a Cuban that left for disagreeing with the form of government Fidel Castro forced on the Island. Neither can those who left in boats, rafts or other manner escaping for freedom. Now foreigners can, like Canadians, Italians (no US of course, we have and “embargo” against Cuba). I find that to be a form of APARTHEID! And dont forget the Party Elite, Artists who are LA CREME DE LA CREME or should I say THE RICH in Cuba.
BOOK : Michael Dweck’s photo project that shows Cuba’s privileged side – a side of beautiful models, late-night partiers, daytime surfers, hard-working guitar players and other people who make up Cuba’s “creative class,” as Dweck calls them. Two of Fidel Castro’s sons (Alex and Alejandro) are on the periphery of this strata. So is the son of Che Guevara, Camilo Guevara,
who’s a photographer.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/29/DDGA1L84PN.DTL&type=art