Putrajaya to freeze toll rates for 21 highways in 2019

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 27 Dec 2018 1:33PM · 1 Comments

The Pakatan Harapan government aims to alleviate the burden of rising living costs borne by all Malaysians with the toll fare freeze, says Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 27, 2018.

PUTRAJAYA will freeze the toll rates for all classes of vehicles on 21 highways across the country and abolished motorcycle toll fares for Penang’s first and second bridges, as well as Johor’s second link next year. 

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the move would cost the government RM994.43 million, but was for the benefit of all Malaysians. 

“The comprehensive toll hike freeze is an ongoing effort by the Pakatan Harapan government to alleviate the burden of rising living costs borne by all Malaysians,” he said in a statement today.

Lim said this was decided during a December 12 cabinet meeting. 

“The freeze will apply to all vehicles. This is a marked enhancement from the Budget 2019 announcement made on November 2, which froze all toll hikes next year for intra-city tolls only.”

“The list of 21 highways and toll plazas, which were scheduled to witness toll rate hikes, have instead had their hikes frozen.”

Lim also said that the toll hike freeze applied to buses on eight additional highways. 

The move, he said, would also include the abolition of motorcycle toll fares for the First Penang Bridge, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge and the Second Link in Johor.

Lim said the government was constantly studying the best ways to fulfill its general election manifesto promises.

“The toll hike freeze is part of these efforts.” – December 27, 2018.

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Comments

  • Not good enough! The Pakatan Harapan Government has reneged on its election manifesto. Abolish toll NOT hold toll at its present level.

    It appears that the RM1 billion is to compensate PLUS and other highway concessionaires for not increasing toll according to the sweetheart concessionaire agreements signed by previous BN Governments with cronies.

    But this is unnecessary.

    Haven't we read in the past that the concessionaires have more than recouped all their investment and all the escalation clauses for periodic increases in toll were inserted to benefit cronies. Why can't the PH Government introduce a new tax to subject all revenue arising from the operation of roads and highway to a levy of say, 90%. When this is passed in Parliament, the highway concessionaires will come running to the PH Government to surrender their concessions.

    Why haven't the PH Government considered the above and fulfilled their election promise?

    Posted 5 years ago by Yok Foo Yap · Reply