Loke is interviewed by RTM in Miri this morning.
MIRI: The Transport Ministry is prepared review the order to discontinue road tax renewals at post offices in Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan and Langkawi for private vehicles with engine capacity of 2,000cc and above.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said a discussion would be held between Road Transport Department (JPJ) Datuk Seri Shaharuddin Khalid and all state JPJ directors tomorrow before making an announcement pertaining to the matter.
“Firstly, the instruction for the discontinuation was not made by Ministry of Transport, it was actually suggested by JPJ to curb the act of motorists who deliberately attempted to avoid paying higher road tax.
“It is understood that the road tax in Sarawak and Sabah is much cheaper here compared to Peninsular Malaysia. There is reason to believe that certain motorists will attempt to pay their road tax at post office for cheaper price, despite their vehicle not registered here (Sarawak and Sabah),” he said when interviewed on-air by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) today.
Loke believed that it was important to revise the decision, particularly due to the difficulty faced by the rural residents in Sarawak and Sabah.
“In Sarawak, particularly, a lot of motorists with vehicles 2,000cc and above in rural areas here, because they have to travel long and far into the village. And it is important to know that not every area has a JPJ office. The discontinuation (of road tax renewal at post offices) will create a burden for them,
“A lot of rural residents actually depend very much on services by Pos Malaysia,” he said, adding that he would be expecting an update from the JPJ director-general tomorrow.
With the country heading towards the digitalisation era, Loke believed that it was crucial to create a convenient service that would be able to cater for the needs of the people.
“My philosophy is to create convenience for the rakyat. We want to create an easy, fast and convenient way for the rakyat to communicate and deal with the government. This is the trend now and we should move in that direction.
“Thus, the decision seems to be unfair to those living in the rural areas, who will have to drive 30 to 50 kilometres just to renew their road tax,” he said.
Loke added that while the intention of the instruction was to curb those who abuse the system, it was crucial for JPJ to come up with a good formula with stricter requirements for vehicles that were not registered in Sabah and Sarawak.
Pos Malaysia’s recent announcement to suspend road tax renewals for vehicles of 2,000cc and above in post offices in Sarawak,Sabah, Labuan and Langkawi following instructions from RTD, effective Sept 1, 2019, had gone viral on the social media and received negative reactions from the public.