You'll cry when you watch £400,000 worth of sports cars crushed by bulldozer in Philippines
Duterte crushes cars and the spirits of car enthusiasts
A PORSCHE 911 GT3, Mercedes SL55 AMG, BMW Z1 and Alpina B12 were among nearly £400,000 worth of cars crushed on Wednesday by a bulldozer in the Philippines.
Captured in a TV news report, the 14 GT and sports cars were destroyed under the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, in an effort to deter illegal vehicle imports. The total value of the cars was estimated to be P27m Philippine Piso (£373,000).
Duterte plans to crush another 841 cars that broke strict rules around importing cars to the country, according to local media reports.
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According to justlanded.com, “Importing your car into the Philippines is nearly impossible, unless you are willing to spend a lot of money. It is cheaper to sell your car, save the money and buy a car once you are in the country.”
Every car is subject to an average rate of 40% customs duty, around 10-12% VAT and ad valorem tax, which relates to the engine size, of 15-100%.
For this reason, many attempt to smuggle their car in to the country under the radar.
Duterte, who was at the crushing event this week, told reporters: “The destruction of these contraband luxury vehicles signifies our strong resolve to restore good governance, preserve our nation’s dignity, and safeguard our people’s welfare.”
He added: “I reiterate that I will never tolerate smuggling and all forms of irregularities in our ports, especially in our free ports. Illegal practices will be dealt with to ensure that every department, agency and instrumentality of government is free from corruption.”
