No discrimination on road charge implementation on Singapore cars

SEGAMAT: The Malaysian government has never practiced discrimination in implementing the road charge (RC) for foreign-registered vehicles from Singapore to enter Malaysia as it will also be implemented at the entry points from other countries in phases.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the RC implementation starting Nov 1 has been notified to his counterpart in Singapore in advance.

"Singapore has been charging RC on us for decades. We are only about to start now.

"There is no discrimination. We will impose the road charge not only at our border with Singapore, but also our borders with Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia with a similar charge of RM20 per car," he told reporters here today.

He said this when commenting on reports that Singapore will retaliate if they find the RC discriminatory.
Meanwhile, Liow said the state government would receive 25% or RM5 from the RM20 charge imposed on foreign-registered vehicles from Singapore, in contrast to the oppositions' claim that the state government would incur a loss with the implementation.

An average of 20,000 Singapore-registered vehicles entered Malaysia daily via the Causeway and the Second Link.

As of July this year, a total of 144,000 Singapore-registered vehicles had been recorded under the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) system.

Earlier, he visited the railway track and the surrounding areas expected to be acquired as a buffer zone for the Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double-tracking project.

Also present was State Tourism, Trade and Consumerism committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong. — Bernama