The government will be pursuing a special regime to enable taxi operators to import vehicles that are up to eight years old.

Currently, regulations allow for the importation of vehicles up to 5 years old.

Industry and Commerce Minister, Karl Samuda says the initiative will be done to enable taxi associations to upgrade the quality of vehicles in their fleet and to enhance their customer service.

He says some 90 percent of taxis currently serving commuters of Jamaica are over 15 years old.

Mr. Samuda adds that this is grave news for the comfort, safety and security of passengers.

Meantime, Mr. Samuda says his ministry is preparing to allow the importation of used tyres for use on heavy equipment such as tractors and harvesters in the agricultural sector.

He says mechanisms will be established to ensure that tyres are used specifically for agricultural purposes.

And, government will be introducing a motor vehicle pre-shipment inspection programme by July 1, this year.

Industry and Commerce Minister, Karl Samuda says in recent years, several purchasers have been severely affected by discrepancies in model years, with subsequent indications based on valuations for issuance purposes.

He says another issue affecting consumers over the years is that of odometers being rolled back.

Mr. Samuda says to address this issue, due diligence will be followed under the pre-shipment inspection process, based on several criteria.

These criteria will include history of vehicle, conformity to age limit or model year, road worthiness, radioactive contamination and odometer reading.

He was contributing to the sectoral debate in parliament yesterday ( May 9).