The State Duma has cleared a bill in its first reading that would allow car owners to deregister a vehicle if it has been stolen. This update is reported by Izvestia and cited by MP Alexei Govyrin.
According to Govyrin, Russia currently counts about 65 million people who own vehicles. The proposed measure aims to streamline the process of vehicle registration. The document states that when a car is stolen and a search is officially conducted, the owner could request the deletion of the vehicle registration. This change could, for instance, exempt the owner from paying transport taxes on the vehicle in question.
Govyrin added that the bill would also allow deregistration to take effect immediately following a vehicle’s sale, rather than waiting ten days as is often the case now. The goal behind this timing change is to prevent the former owner from accumulating fines for traffic violations tied to the vehicle after the transfer of ownership.
There have been past discussions about another policy measure in the State Duma. In a previous move, the chamber considered removing compulsory motor liability insurance from the list of documents required to register a vehicle. The explanatory note accompanying that bill stated that registering a car does not obligate the owner to use the vehicle and that the vehicle might not be in use for an extended period.
Under current compulsory insurance law, vehicle owners must insure the risk of legal liability before completing a transfer of ownership, but this must be done within ten days following the purchase date.
Earlier reports indicated that the Russian government did not support a separate bill proposing a steep fine for driving a car with direct exhaust emissions. This stance reflects ongoing debates about how best to balance regulatory oversight with practical measures for vehicle use and ownership in the country. (Source: Izvestia)