I am writing in response to the Feb. 10, 2012, opinion article by Jim Sutherland, Is this the best use of car sales levy?
The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) is the sole agency charged, by the Alberta government, to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field for automotive businesses in Alberta.
The automotive industry has been regulated in Alberta since 1968.
Today, the law requires every automotive business to have a provincial business licence and every automotive salesperson to be registered.
Both must conduct business following the rules in Alberta’s Fair Trading Act and regulations.
In 1999, the government of Alberta delegated the responsibility to enforce and administer consumer protection legislation within the automotive industry to AMVIC.
The organization is a non-profit society led by an 11-member board of directors. Since AMVIC’s delegation, the number of licences has more than doubled. Restitution to consumers has reached over $21 million. AMVIC has gone from six to 30 employees to meets its responsibilities.
In Alberta, AMVIC is responsible for:
l Licensing automotive businesses and registering automotive salespeople.
l Investigating consumer complaints against automotive businesses.
l Administering a compensation fund for consumers.
l Delivering education programs for consumers and industry members.
The provincial car sales levy referenced in the article came into effect in Alberta in July 2010.
The purpose of the levy is to strengthen AMVIC’s consumer protection programs, and to create and administer a consumer compensation fund.
The fund will be available to compensate consumers who lose money if an AMVIC-licensed business fails.
We are pleased to inform your readers of our activities and encourage them to visit www.amvic.org for additional information.
Shannon Delorey
Executive director (acting)
Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council