The Bahamas Motor Dealers Association (BMDA) said it was blindsided by the government’s proposed changes to vehicle licensing fees and registration requirements, arguing that the industry was not consulted despite repeated offers to provide input on policy changes affecting the sector.
The concerns were raised by Bahamas Bus & Truck General Manager and BMDA President Ben Albury, who said motor dealers first learned of the proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act through media inquiries.
“As always, we’re blindsided with the changes,” Albury said during an appearance on radio talk show Morning Blend on Guardian Radio.
“One thing that we’ve done with successive governments is we’ve always offered consultation.”
The proposed amendments would restructure vehicle licensing fees based on weight, increase fees for some vehicle classes, introduce penalties for late renewals, and require a certificate of title for every vehicle imported into The Bahamas.
Under the proposal, Class A vehicles weighing up to 3,000 pounds would continue to attract a $160 license fee, while Class B vehicles weighing between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds would pay $215. Class C vehicles weighing between 5,000 and 15,000 pounds would pay $610, and Class D vehicles over 15,000 pounds would pay $760. Fully electric vehicles would see their license fee reduced to $125.
Albury said the association is not opposed to government policy changes, but believes stakeholders should be engaged before decisions are finalized.
“If you have that resource here and readily available in the Bahamas Motor Dealers Association, it’s an association we’re proud of. It’s been around for a very long time. We share a lot of data. We share a lot of information,” he said.
“Please invite us in. If you’re making changes, we’d love to discuss them with you. We’d love to, you know, maybe give you some ideas that maybe you may not have considered or thought of.”
While he noted that weight-based licensing systems are common internationally, Albury questioned some aspects of the proposed structure, particularly the treatment of electric vehicles.
“I was kind of surprised to see electric going down because electric vehicles are typically extremely heavy,” he said.
“They’re also not collecting the gas tax as well. So that kind of threw me off a little.”
Albury also expressed concerns about provisions requiring vehicle titles and penalties tied to non-compliance, describing portions of the legislation as unclear.
“I’ve read it, I’ve read it again, it’s very muddy, it’s not clear.”
The BMDA said it remains willing to meet with the government to discuss the proposals and provide industry data and recommendations before the changes are finalized.
“We would love to sit down and give some free advice, whether it’s taken or not taken,” Albury said.
