When a motor museum is not a motor museum

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

We have often wondered about classic car dealers titling their stock as a museum and even advertising it as such. It seems totally misplaced to some. Well, in Australia they think so, as a large classic car dealer is now even forced to close its doors for this reason.

The company, Gosford Classic Cars, was dubbed ‘Australia's largest classic car dealer’ and is now forced to close its doors after a 'protracted dispute' with the Australian Tax Office. Gosford Classic Cars was just three years in business but had an ongoing issue with the Austrlian government about their taxing exemptions since day one. The dealership called itself a museum, which formed the clue to the case. The dispute with the ATO was about whether the company is ‘entitled to the same taxation exemptions as other motor dealerships’. A spokesman for the museum said: “Measures included dropping the word 'museum' from the trading name, not advertising the museum concept and dispensing with admission fees. Without admission fees and the ability to promote the ‘museum concept’, the dealership has lost hundreds of customers. This drop in visit rate has had a knock-on effect on trade, with car sales reducing from up to 59 car sales per month to as low as just 5 per month.”

The company’s current collection counts a great number of classic and exotic cars, with an estimated value of over 70 million Australian dollars. All of it, including the cars and the premises, will be sold in a no-reserve auction organised by Lloyds Auction House, to take place on April 6 and 7 this year.

(Words editor, pictures Unique Cars, Daily Mail, Gosford Classic Car Museum)

Ajoutez un commentaire...