European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 6, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Economy scrap Yards so its difficult to get your tax free car to a stripping Yard or a government disposal office what do you do the local scrap Yard is a third but Only in some americans in the Netherlands and Belgium May scrap old cars through local dealers after satisfying customs car owners in Turkey never scrap cars in local in compliance with turkish they take even worn out cars with them when they leave by americans in Britain who own thou Sands of aging tax paid vehicles junk Many cars in local but they also turn in private cars to the depart ment of defense for the 1976 treaty of Friendship and cooperation with Spain prohibits an american from Selling an imported car to a Spanish and that includes a Salvage the majority of tax free cars scrapped in Germany Are turned Over to stripping Yards or disposal but others go direct to German junk in other european countries it May be possible to turn old cars in at local scrap but its Seldom in All countries customs Laws dictate disposal meth ods practice by american owners of tax free British Law prohibits the Sale of a tax free car or parts from a tax free until the customs duty has been if its a tax free you cant just dispose of it like says George vehicle registrar for the 3rd air Force in the tax on a tax free vehicle must be paid if its sold or disposed Lumsdon says americans dispose of about tax free vehicles a year in Britain after the duty has been he estimates that As Many As of these Are turned in at local scrap while the rest Are sold to buyers who continue to operate in addition to the tax free disposals monitored by he says americans junk several thousand tax paid vehicles a year at local strip in Germany owners Selling tax free cars to a junk dealer or Selling them for continuing use on German highways must Complete a form 2074 in five copies and report to German customs with the available at All military police the form May be mailed to Mannheim Headquarters of the 42nd my group or Han carried to or to the 42nd office at Rhei main a for Walkin americans last year used form 2074 to Transfer tax free cars to German Margaret who handles transfers at the Mannheim says that As Many As of these May have been scrapped and the rest sold for continuing operation by German in Many cases american owners donated their cars to German junk dealers As a matter of for Walkin service customers May take the 2074 to the 42nd office on Rhei main building room or to the 42nd my Taylor building room Randell chief of customer serv ice for the recommends use of German mail for the fastest postal the address is 42nd military police Taylor attention customer building 6800 Hodnett suggests enclosing a self addressed Enve Lope with postage to the individuals German once the form is completed by the the along with the must go to the nearest German customs office where the value of the car is established and the duty in the Netherlands the old car is taken to a dealer who by Law must break it in two before information on How to junk a car in the Netherlands is available from the base vehicle registry Vee the government Road dutch police and dutch in where tax free cars carry the a Cus Toms document that must stay with the vast majority of autos junked go through government property disposal but an owner assigned to a Community that has no vehicle registry office May be directed to de Register his car at customs and to turn it Over to a local scrap americans in the azores can turn their cars Over to stripping Yards off base or to a property disposal Yard on the base at if a service member takes a car to a stripping Yard off the owner Sells it to the Yard for a Price based on the weight of the there is no customs Levy on the car As Long As its in Greece cars Are disposed of through government property disposal King Cruger and Dave Lehl of the Bureau contributed to this junkers continued from Page 13 dutch police May impound at any time any vehicle they deem unsafe to in police May make similar spot Al though they do not impound body rust and engine failure Are the principal reasons americans Send their old cars out to in a number of countries the owner has two disposal cars May be donated to military stripping which sell off usable then sell the carcasses As or they May be sent to a department of defense disposal about cars annually end up in european strip Ping another Are disposed of through the Dod re utilization and marketing known As property disposal service until july 1 of this several thousand additional cars annually end up in Host nation Yards after owners satisfy hos country Cus Toms in Fields and lots they stand battered vow derelict Volvo and and a variety of american cars that have seen better Thomas chief of the sales division at prop erty disposals european Region in says cars were sold at disposal Yards in Germany in the 12 months ending March during the same period about cars were sold at disposal offices in the United Greece and while most cars turned in at property disposal offices Are old and in poor and must be worked off As some Are sold to individual these Are cars that Are in operating condition and will pass vehicle inspection with Little or no Trent Points Trent says the government is getting to for cars sold As scrap in Germany under current and has received up to for cars sold in earlier this if you consider the modest prices for scrap cars and the costs of storing and preparing vehicles for i think we actually lose Money on the said Robert chief of the european regions merchandising we dispose of these private vehicles for the military More As a service than As a Revenue he Trent says there Are property disposal problems in Italy and where cars must be scrapped in Italy weve had cars turned in with the spare parts on the Back but our people had trouble convincing customs officials the parts actually belonged to the Trent in Turkey most americans drive old cars but cant afford to junk them because of the turkish customs this document requires that goods of value imported into Turkey must leave the country with the As a the Pov in Turkey is Seldom disposed unless in other turning a car in to a property Dispo Sal office or a stripping Yard is a routine form 3790r is required for donation of a car to a morale support which sends it to a form 1124 is needed to Transfer a car to a property disposal in some countries owners have the additional option of transferring their old cars directly to local junk that is the main disposal route for the old car in the United where it is against the Law to strip a tax free in Britain americans drive thousands of aging tax paid often used As second Many of these end up in local vehicle registry offices throughout Europe provide in formation on american pos in Europe Germany United kingdom Italy Spain Netherlands Greece Belgium Turkey Portugal total United kingdom figure includes tax paid belgian figure is an Portugal figure includes contractors vehicles and charges of desertion the costly problem of abandoned autos battered and often worn beyond repair they stand by the Road a target for scavenge ers and a Thorn in the Side of military at Community after the deserted private vehicle is a Burden to Mili tary officials estimate that in a year up to vehicles Are abandoned in Europe by americans completing overseas in the United Italy and Spain the countries with the largest military populations the abandoned car is an administrative nuisance vehicle registry officials with the exception of which requires that pri4 vate cars leave the country with their the bark done Auto is evident in overseas communities wherever americans stranded cars Are found on in Back alleys Anc residential districts of towns and along main High at air Usa eur registry officials estimate the number o cars abandoned in Germany at a abandoned vehicles continue to be a major concern of communities and commanders throughout says Larry the Usa eur Stephen Pov action officer at the usar eur says abandoned vehicles Are potential hazards to service and family stand As Eye Are resented by the local population and require significant resources to Many vehicles Are abandoned at the last minute As service members head Many Are dropped at Rhei main principal Gateway to and from staff Leonard Security police vehicle impoundment no at says that in a year 700 to abandoned cars Are rounded up on and off its obvious the abandoned vehicle is a serious problem at Rhei main because this is the departure Point for so Many said gesturing toward the holding lot crowded bumper to bumper with More than 350 most cars Are abandoned in the terminal some in the lot were properly turned but Many were aban in George vehicle registrar for the 3rd air estimates the number of abandoned cars in the United kingdom at 600 a because tax is due on tax free even if Ameri can owners plan to junk Lumsdon works with county officials to track Down he says the Effort by local car dealers to Tow in abandoned cars is a problem with tax free vehicles because taxes must be paid before they Are made available for in Tony assistant to the vehicle registrar at the naval support regards abandonment As a headache that could be avoided if car owners would follow italian customs and military weve had a lot of cars abandoned in trying to track Down the owners is Tim consuming and Battaglia when the service member leaves the country his car should be exported or disposed of for weve had cars that were left on the Highway this produced problems with customs because a scrapped vehicle in Italy is supposed to have All the parts with but cars left on the Road soon Are picked clean of weve also had italian garage owners stuck with cars left for now they cant get rid of one owner who has done expensive repairs continues to hold a car that was left two years at Madrid Torrejon an official says that in a year about 120 vehicles Are abandoned by departing at Torrejon and other bases in Europe the abandoned car must be processed under Legal and military require ments before its Many cars end up in government property Dispo Sal offices for eventual Sale As in most countries the owner of a private vehicle signs a registration statement that donates the car to the government in the event of the Usa eur application for a form now offers owners the Choice of giving the car to a morale welfare recreation activity for or to a property disposal if an abandoned car is Worth or an Effort must be made to find the owner before initiating the disposal if the value of the car is set at less than the determination is made by a Board of officers the car May be disposed of disposal is detailed under title 10 of the code and department of defense if a military police notice on a car draws no response within 24 then it is presumed to be and it May be towed to a holding if identity of the owner is the car must be held 120 Days to permit an Exchange of correspond if the owner is not the car must be held 90 Days before the owner of an abandoned vehicle May seek recovery of the sales Price up to five years from the Date of on occasion relatively new cars Are abandoned by owners on emergency leave or by owners who can no longer afford financing service members who left for emergency reasons usually return to recover their and cars abandoned for Lack of payments invariably Are repossessed by finance All other abandoned and that includes the vast Are older most of which have Little value except As but most vehicles Are Worth at least and for this reason the 90and 120day holding require ments must be observed before crowding of impound lots has a situation the defense department is attempting to relieve by raising the holding value from to such a proposal now is before Congress along with a request to reduce the holding period for abandoned cars to 45 Short of legislative the abandoned vehicle is a problem that must be dealt with by the individual military service regulations provide for action against those who abandon but they Are difficult to particularly against individuals leaving the As were a transient facility theres not much we can do about the abandoned says Ruble at these people have been cleared by their Home posts and they simply drive Here and abandon their most of them get away with it unless their new units want to do something about if those who abandon cars would just realize How easy it is to turn a car in to a stripping Yard or property disposal they would save us a lot of some commands Are tightening controls Over depart ing personnel in an attempt to reduce the number of abandoned at Raf Alconbury in the United a base spokesman says cars must be sold or properly disposed of before air tickets Are issued to departing Robert Community development no for the 21st support come in says that if the 11 communities in the 21st follow command policy there should be no abandoned under our policy a Soldier should not be Al Lowed to Clear for a new assignment if he has not prop Erly disposed of his Lebron Usa eur registrar Murphy says that the key to reducing abandoned vehicles is strict compliance with Usa eur regulation which covers the Licens registration and operation of privately owned motor this compliance requires systematic out processing procedures for usage unassigned personnel to assure that vehicles Are either shipped or properly disposed of by personnel prior to departing the Murphy Dave Diehl of the Bureau contributed to this 14 the stars and stripes August 1985 1985 the stars and stripes Page 15