“Increasing the Customs Clearance Tariff Will Discourage the Import of Older Vehicles and Improve Air Quality,” Says Davit Songulashvili

“It was important to achieve, on the one hand, the goal of improving air quality, and on the other hand, to take into account the interests of the private sector,” said Davit Songulashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, commenting on the decision to introduce a tariff of 4.5 GEL per cubic centimeter for customs clearance of vehicles older than six years, instead of imposing an outright import ban.

According to him, the decision was made in the best interests of citizens.

“Taking into account the best interests of our citizens, we considered their requests, which became the key motivation behind this decision. On the one hand, the increased tariff will act as a deterrent to the import of older vehicles, and on the other hand, this restriction will contribute to improving air quality, which is one of the key priorities in environmental protection,” Davit Songulashvili stated