Manufacturers of registration number plates support the new requirement, which takes effect next Monday, for all licence plate makers to be registered annually with the Barbados Licensing Authority (BLA).
The change, which falls under a newly amended Road Traffic Act, is being implemented in a bid to regulate the trade and root out counterfeiters.
Under the law, only registered individuals and businesses will be authorised to make registration number plates and motorists will be expressly forbidden from obtaining plates from an unregistered manufacturer.
Kenneth Harris, a licence plate manufacturer based in The Pine, next door to the Licensing Authority, believes the regulation is long overdue.
“There are people out there making plates but they are not authorised to make plates,” Harris said. “They will just go and bring the machine and if their friend wants a plate, they make a plate in whatever style their friend needs.”
“The regulation is the letter height must be three inches and it must be a specific font that is used. And there are a lot of vehicles up there with different types of font on the road.”
Harris added that while the cost of registration may seem high, it is a necessary step to run his business which he has operated for years.
“I would say it is a little high, but if that is the cost, that is the cost. If you want to continue making plates, you have to pay the price,” he said.
Alfred Howard, a licence plate manufacturer with over 40 years of experience, was not discouraged by the new regulations.
“I don’t mind. If we have to pay $500 and then $200 yearly, that’s not a problem,” Howard said.
The BLA will on Monday begin accepting applications from current licence plate manufacturers and businesses interested in becoming certified.
To apply, individuals or businesses must provide the Licensing Authority with their name and address, the business or company details, a certificate of registration issued under the Registration of Business Names Act, or a certificate of incorporation issued under the Companies Act for registered companies. Any additional information requested by the BLA must also be submitted.
Application forms are available for download on the Barbados Licensing Authority’s website at bla.gov.bb. Once approved, the applicant must pay an initial fee of $500 to the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) to complete the registration process.
Upon payment, a certificate of registration will be issued, which must be displayed at the business premises. The certificate will be valid for one year from the date of issue.
Only certified manufacturers will be listed on the Licensing Authority’s website as authorised to produce and issue vehicle registration plates, the BLA said.
(LG)
The post Licence plate makers welcome stricter standards appeared first on Barbados Today.