Photo: rprtphoto.wordpress.com
On February 16th, 1959 when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, he slammed the brakes on all foreign goods imports into the county, including cars. This meant that for year, people have been stuck with the same old jalopies, struggling to keep them on the road.
That desperate situation is finally coming to an end today, as Cuba lifts the ban on new car imports after almost 55 year, give or take a month. The communist government announced that a special permit required to buy cars from the state has been eliminated.
The government lifted restrictions on the sales of used cars between individuals in 2011, but due to an overall lack of cars, prices actually grew out of control. Rusty old cars from the 50s sold for ridiculous sums, often exceeding ten thousand dollars.
The local government holds a monopoly on the sale of imported vehicles and issued a special car from the Transport Ministry that authorized the buying of a vehicle. To comply, people had to justify the source of their money, which many people couldn't because money obtained from overseas relatives was not recognized. This created a black market where cars traded for more money than the actual car. This card has been banned. However, the new regulations will be ready only a few weeks from now.
Photos courtesy of rprtphoto.wordpress.com
The government lifted restrictions on the sales of used cars between individuals in 2011, but due to an overall lack of cars, prices actually grew out of control. Rusty old cars from the 50s sold for ridiculous sums, often exceeding ten thousand dollars.
The local government holds a monopoly on the sale of imported vehicles and issued a special car from the Transport Ministry that authorized the buying of a vehicle. To comply, people had to justify the source of their money, which many people couldn't because money obtained from overseas relatives was not recognized. This created a black market where cars traded for more money than the actual car. This card has been banned. However, the new regulations will be ready only a few weeks from now.
Photos courtesy of rprtphoto.wordpress.com
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