250.000 Vehicles Still
Circulating Without Marchamo
December 31, 2009, came and went. That is
the day that the 2010 Marchamo - vehicular
circulation permit - was due for the 1.1
million vehicles were to have paid up.
However, some 250.000 still have not.
According to the Instituto Nacional de
Seguros (INS), only 849.276 vehicle owners
have paid, even though some 88.387 paid the
fine and late fees for paying after the due
date, leaving some 250.000 vehicles still
circulating without the sticker and worse
yet without insurance.
And such as the Policía de Tránsito have
been keeping a vigil eye on vehicles and
with spot checks and regular patrols,
confiscating so far 2.534 license plates.
The Marchamo is a collection of taxes,
including vehicle property tax, and more
important the "seguro obligatorio"
(mandatory insurance) that covers third
parties in the event of an accident.
A vehicle circulating without the Marchamo
hurts everyone, as the vehicle, driver,
passengers and anyone else and property
involved in accident with such a vehicle are
completely unprotected.
Third parties - other drivers, passengers
and owners of damaged property - involved in
an accident with a vehicle not having the
Marchamo cannot turn to the INS for damages,
but to the owner of the vehicle and/or the
driver, which may include a court action to
recover.
Also, owners of vehicles who are caught
circulating without the Marchamo face the
nightmare of the process of retrieving
confiscated license plates.
The first step is to pay the fine for
circulating without the Marchamo. Then a
visit to the Cosevi offices for a
declaration that there are no outstanding
fines against the license plate and the
owner of the vehicle (not necessarily the
driver), then a visit to the local Juzgado
de Tránsito (traffic court) in the
jurisdiction where the plates where
confiscated, for a certificate that is then
needed back at the Cosevi office for the
plate retrieval.
This and more can all be avoided by visiting
the nearest local bank and paying the
Marchamo. After January, the Marchamo can
only the paid at the INS.
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