Health Minister confirms new one-time vehicle fee
The Virgin Islands government will implement a new one-time vehicle disposal fee in September to help fund the removal and storage of derelict vehicles from public areas, Health Minister Vincent Wheatley has confirmed.
The fee will apply to both newly imported vehicles and existing vehicles when owners renew their licences.
“It’s a one-time fee and it varies according to the size and the weight of the vehicle,” Wheatley explained.
According to the Minister, the rates will be as follows:
• Vehicles between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds: $60
• Vehicles between 3,000 and 6,000 pounds: $85
• Vehicles over 6,000 pounds: $125
Vehicles between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds: $60 Vehicles between 3,000 and 6,000 pounds: $85 Vehicles over 6,000 pounds: $125
The government expects the new fee to help tackle the growing problem of abandoned vehicles across the territory.
“We are currently awaiting a barge… in the next week or so, the barge will be here to do the first shipping of derelict cars out of the territory,” he stated.
Wheatley said the derelict vehicle problem has long been a burden on the public purse. “It’s actually a 24-year-old bill that’s never properly enacted, but we’re going to enact this now because we cannot have the place the way it is now with derelict cars everywhere all the time,” he argued.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley supported the measure, noting the impact of derelict vehicles on tourism and public health. “We want to see clean and pristine communities… The derelicts become breeding sites for mosquitoes. And then you see the rats, and then you see the increase of dengue and mosquito-borne diseases,” he said.
He added that removal and disposal costs are significant. “When those sites become full and you have a certain amount of derelicts that have to go out on a barge, you have to wait for the barge to come. That costs money and also it takes time.”
The Health Minister echoed these concerns. “Since around maybe 2014, 2015, we did nearly a thousand derelicts a year, but the numbers aren’t going down. So I’m really puzzled… It’s a costly subject to deal with,” Wheatley stated.
Despite the new charge, he reassured residents the fee is minimal. “It’s really not a burdensome or excessive fee to pay,” he said. “We ask the public to cooperate with us. It’s an expensive thing to deal with, but we must keep the territory clean.”
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AND WHEREAS our citizens and visitors continue to endure the filthy physical state of the Territory which lacks proper maintenance and upkeep as can be evidence in the overgrown bushes that now compromise the safety of motorist and pedestrians and the ever presence of garbage, derelict vehicles and sunken boats from the hurricanes from the 2017 etc. which continue to spoil the natural beauty of our islands without the proper intervention by the Premier and his Government.
while blaming the Premier and his Government is convenient can we talk about the ppl who pocketed their insurance money and left the wreck abandoned on the seabed to now be a cost to the public purse without a backward glance? Taking revenue away from schools, hospitals and road maintenance. Do they have no obligation at all?
so the innocent suffers with the guilty; goodjob
I think there should be a 10yr old cap on vehicles that are being imported and those over 5yrs should pay a higher fee. We need to get serious around here, talk is cheap, everything takes money!
How does this help?
People keeping vehicles in the bush on their land,on the road and along the seashore now and they don’t pay.
Charging means more vehicles in the bush on their land, on other peoples land, along the roads on the shore.
How does charging help.
It will be worse way worse.
But, no matter there are so many projects pushing land over coral and mangroves that there will be plenty of places to put them.
We will be able to claim our place as the Champion Not Sustainable Environmental dirt bag of the Caribbean.
Oh how we love awards.
ALL THEY DO IS TAKE TAKE TAKE
All these man does do is sit down and find ways to make life harder in this place.
Why am I paying for other people’s derelict vehicle??
Each on has a VIN code on it which is registered with the DMV so the owner can be tracked and pay for the removal of THEIR vehicle NOT my responsibility!
Same as the environmental levy you all put on people – what happened with all that money? Same thing will happen here – take the money, and nothing will be done!
Is he for real?
How can we be sure this money doesn’t go into Sl**ande’s travel budget?
It is clear that another four years will have to pass and it is even clearer that there will be no focused legislation on improving the roads systems of the VI.
Yet, there is only the continued practice of continuous taking away and price hikes being forced on the public and in which, the public never see any effect of that money. So where is it going?
I recall very well spending my entire career (35years) complaining about bad the roads and fixing front ends, and. i know i was not alone. Y
et to this day forty five plus years later,money keeps disappearing and service to roads and, people and coutry keeps geting buried in fake dogma. Where has the money gone?
Sorry, but his administration is completely an ineffective one.
The people should truly boycott all work for twoor three day to demand better from government andelected persons.
As, it is only through collective organized protest will we see change in this country.
We need organizers.
is not enough if its a one time fee. Best to just add on $25 to each time you licence your vehicle.
I suggested this years ago but the fee was to go towards road repairs.
Only thing is I think the fee should be across the board. For example: cars (60), suv’s (70), small trucks (80), 3 yds (100) 10 yds (150)
This is nonsense tge traffic dept already collects a lincense fee on all vehocles every year, a percentage of the rental vehile companies income from rental fees goes to the governmet as well.
On top of all this people have to pay hogh vehicle insurance and i do believe the government gets a piece of that as well.
Vehicle duty fee and parts cost fees government collects aswell.
All of these means of collecting from the people under the guise of doing this to help the people and doing that to help the country and yet we are drive on the worst road we have ever had destroying and costing the car owners thousands of dollars in repairs as well as via accidents and hospital bills etc.
It is a shame that all they can come up with is another scam to steal the little funds that people have left to help themselves survive this dead economy.
SMH these Wheatley men and their government is making their ancestor the late Hon. Willard Wheatley roll in shame in his grave with what they are doing and destroying the good name and honor that once was synonomous with the name Wheatley. SMH in shame!!!
“ Read my lips: no new taxes”
Is this the brightest idea that you and team VIP could come up with? Amazing! Tax our way out of the issues of mismanagement. Brilliant thinking!
It’s the BVI way. Nobody held accountable for anything. Govt can figure out who owns every derelict vehicle, but they choose not to.
All vehicles with illegal tint should be declared derelict towed away, charged the fee and then crushed.
Time laws of the VI were taken off the books or enforced.
WHY should I pay a vehicle removal fee for someone else charge the ones who are abandoning there vehicle. No way in he’ll will I ever go back to the poles.
These fees and similar one will always be impose on us because we don’t care about each other. As many of have pointed out, the place needs some serious maintenance/ cleaning. It time for us to stop blaming the government for everything wrong and for us to start doing our part. Stop leaving your trash in place not designated for trash. Dispose of it properly. If you’re driving with the trash on to of your vehicle and it fall off, stop a pick it up. Don’t leave it the be scat about by stray animals. It drinking/eating while walking do just drop the containers, bottles or can anywhere, look for a bin and place them in. Don’t just get up and walk away.
When it comes to vehicles, old furniture and appliances dispose of them properly. Call the DMV or Waste Management and ask about their services. There are days when they do pickup for such items. Don’t let them become eyesores in the place. Please let us work on making these island beautiful for all.
Where is the money you all get from the scrap metal, that is big money business in GT JA TT