Foreign vehicles entering Johor to be charged fee Implementation date, rates to be set by federal agency: Malaysian PM Source: Straits Times JOHOR BARU - Malaysia said yesterday that all non-Malaysian vehicles entering Johor will be charged an entry fee, just over two weeks after Singapore announced it will raise foreign vehicle entry permit fees from Aug 1. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who said that the decision came after a request from the state of Johor, which has two land entry points from Singapore, in Woodlands and Tuas. Malaysias Road Transport Department, a federal agency, will work out the date of implementation and the rates for the vehicle entry permits, he said after a breaking of fast event in the Johor capital, reported The Star newspaper. Datuk Seri Najib said a portion of the fees collected would be channelled to the Johor government. Singapores decision to hike the fees for vehicles entering from Malaysia had created an uproar, especially among Johor residents who drive to the Republic to work, and among businesses that regularly send goods vehicles over. Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had on Tuesday noted that Singaporeans are not charged any fees when they drive into Malaysia, while no action has been taken against those who do not settle their traffic summonses. Such action is not fair because they (Singapore) should reduce and not increase the fee from $20 to $35, Bernama news agency quoted him as telling reporters. Why dont we, too, collect some revenue from Singapore cars entering Malaysia? In his comments yesterday, PM Najib only mentioned new fees for vehicles entering Johor - giving an indication that foreign vehicles entering Malaysia from other neighbouring countries would not be charged the new fees. Peninsular Malaysia has an overland border with Thailand in the north, while the state of Sarawak in the east shares its border with Brunei. Both Sarawak and Sabah also share borders with Indonesias Kalimantan province. In its July 1 announcement, Singapores Land Transport Authority (LTA) said from Aug 1, drivers of foreign-registered cars will have to pay $35 for a daily permit, up from $20 now. And those driving goods vehicles will have to pay $40 for a monthly permit, four times the $10 charged now. The LTA said it periodically reviews foreign vehicle permit fees to ensure that the cost of owning and using a foreign-registered vehicle in Singapore corresponds with that of owning and using a Singapore-registered vehicle. The cost difference has widened in recent years, largely on the back of soaring certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums and additional taxes for premium and luxury cars. On average, there are about 50,000 foreign-registered vehicles on Singapore roads every day - up about 40 per cent from 35,000 some 10 years ago. Two-thirds are motorcycles, with cars, vans and lorries making up the rest.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 01:09:57 +0000
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