I think it has been discussed before, but definitely hasn't been a priority. Up to this point, I think that lack of a xar importer is in part due to Inkscape's inability to replicate some of Xara's transparency and fill types, as you stated. But I also think it can also be attibuted to the fact that the xar format has not been very widely adopted, and is frowned upon by some as an aged and non-standardized format.
Maybe though with Inkscape's capabilities progressing so nicely, we will see a xar importer in the near future. At least I would expect that we'll get a xar importer long before, if ever, we get an exporter.
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