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Addis Ababa Intensifies Crackdown on Underground Car Sales

Capital Ethiopia · 3 hours ago · Read the Full Story on Capital Ethiopia
Addis Ababa Intensifies Crackdown on Underground Car Sales
AI SUMMARY

Addis Ababa revenue authorities have seized and inspected over 45 vehicles hidden in residential areas, warehouses, and religious compounds to evade taxes and licensing requirements.

  • Addis Ababa revenue authorities launched a crackdown on unregistered automobile trading involving more than 45 vehicles.
  • Investigations revealed car dealers shifting operations to residential neighbourhoods, warehouses, and religious compounds to evade tax and licensing requirements.
  • The operation was led by the Kirkos branch of the Addis Ababa Revenues Bureau as part of an ongoing enforcement campaign beyond conventional showrooms.
  • Vehicles were identified during inspections targeting commercial activities conducted without required Addis Ababa sales receipts and business registration.
  • Authorities maintain that importers selling vehicles in Addis Ababa must comply with city tax requirements regardless of where their original business licences were issued.
  • Henok Zewde, Deputy Manager for Legal Compliance at the bureau's Kirkos branch, stated that importers relocated vehicles to less visible locations in response to intensified inspections.
  • The bureau did not disclose the total market value of the vehicles, identities of dealers involved, potential unpaid taxes, or specific penalties applied.
  • Automobile importers in Addis Ababa must obtain local licences or register regional licences, issue recognised sales receipts, and fulfil annual income and monthly VAT obligations.
  • The enforcement comes amid a structural transformation in Ethiopia's automobile market driven by import policy changes and the growth of electric mobility since 2024.
  • Henok urged traders to regularise their operations under Directive No. 166/2014 and called on the public to report suspected illegal vehicle trading.
Read the Full Story on Capital Ethiopia
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