Licensing fees discounted under COVID-19 economic relief package - Motor vehicle industry bulletin 5

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Licence holdersMotor industry

30 October 2020

Licensing fees discounted under COVID-19 economic relief package

From 28 October 2020, a discount applies to all motor vehicle licensing applications processed from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. This is a change in the law as part of the Premier's COVID-19 economic and health relief package announcement.

The discount is equal to 12 months' worth of your three year licensing fee paid during the COVID-19 emergency period.

What if I paid my application fee after 1 April 2020?

You will receive the relevant refund from us if you paid the full application fee from 1 April 2020. If we have your electronic payment details, we will refund that account. If we do not have these details, we will send you a request for them via a posted letter and an email.

When can I expect my refund?

Refunds will be processed over the coming months. Processing may take some time due to the significant volume and we appreciate your patience.

What do I need to do to get a refund?

We will be in touch about your refund soon. When you receive our written request for account details, fill in the information and post or email it back as soon as possible.

What does this mean for an application that I need to make?

You can still submit your application. You may be eligible for the discounted fees on complete applications submitted up to 31 March 2021. However, there may be some delays in processing incoming applications. To maintain a valid licence or certificate, submit your renewal application earlier than usual.

More information

Further information on the reduction of licensing fees is available on our website.

Have your say on motor vehicle consignment sales laws

On Friday 30 October 2020, we released a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (C-RIS) about motor vehicle consignment sales under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act 1973. This consultation paper presents possible options to deal with consignment selling such as:

  • maintaining the current requirements
  • strengthening licensing and consumer safeguards
  • banning consignment sales altogether

We are looking for your valuable feedback on these options.

Reason for change

The current consignment sales system creates a significant risk to consumers. There have been several major cases of motor vehicle dealers failing to follow the law. This has resulted in customers losing more than $2.5 million.

Making a submission

It’s easy to have your say.

Simply answer the questions in the C-RIS or write an email or letter sharing your views, including if you have another option that we should consider. You can also respond by taking our short online survey.

Further information on the C-RIS  and how to make a submission is available on our website.

Need some assistance?

For further information about your licensing requirements or the consignment sales consultation contact 1300 304 054 or email consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

Consumer Protection
Bulletin
Last updated 03 Nov 2020

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