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Customs/ MED Motor Vehicle Traders Importers Programme
Annual report
Purpose: To enable the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) identify people who have imported more than three motor vehicles in a 12 month period and are not registered as motor vehicle traders, and take action if there is a strong case for prosecution.
Year commenced: 2004
Features: Data transferred quarterly by online transfer.
Customs disclosure to MED: Customs provides MED with the full name, address, contact numbers and a Customs unique identifier of all individuals or entities that have imported more than three vehicles within the previous 12 months.
MED disclosure to Customs: MED returns the Customs unique identifier number for those individuals or entities that can be excluded from future matching because they are registered or are not required to be registered.
2010/11 activity: This programme was inactive during 2010/11.
Compliance: Compliant.
Technical information
| Information matching provision | Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003, ss.120 and 121 |
| Year authorised | 2003 |
| Programme type | Detecting illegal behaviour |
| Unique identifiers | Customs client code |
System description
Each quarter, Customs sends MED, by encrypted online transfer, a file of all individuals or entities who have imported more than three motor vehicles within the previous 12 months. The Customs information includes name, address and contact information of the importer, and details of the vehicles imported.
MED manually matches the Customs data against the Motor Vehicle Traders Register to identify the status (registered or unregistered) of each person or entity. Unregistered individuals are sent a s.103 notice of adverse action[1]. If no response is received, or no new registration occurs, a second notice is sent advising that the matter may be referred to the Registrar's National Enforcement Unit for prosecution.
Details of individuals or entities that are registered or are not required to be registered are returned to Customs on a monthly basis. Customs excludes these entities from future match runs.
MED also accesses the file from Customs to conduct manual look-ups if a complaint is received. The person who performs the information matching programme is authorised to perform the look-up on behalf of all other investigating staff. A privacy register is maintained to record details of each access to the Customs data, and a summary report of this activity is provided to the Office.
| 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | |
| Match runs | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Entities received for matching | 10,402 | 4,145 | 1,593 | 249 | 259 |
| Entities of interest identified | 554 | 612 | 826 | 64 | 87 |
| Notices of adverse action sent | 554 | 510 | 686[2] | 96 | 122 |
| Registrations as a result of notices of adverse action |
53 | 35 | 28 | 6 | 3 |
| Entities: registered under another name |
50 | 31 | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| Entities: primary purpose not financial gain |
179 | 117 | 79 | 19 | 18 |
[1] For administrative convenience, and for the benefit of corporate persons, a notice is sent to the matched entity whether they are an individual or a corporate body such as a company or a trust.
[2] This figure includes second notices sent to some of the same persons/entities which did not respond to the first notice. For 2007/08, 553 persons/entities were sent the first notice, with 153 of those also sent a second notice.