Entry fee for Thai and Singapore vehicles

BY SA’ODAH ELIAS

PETALING JAYA: Vehicles from Singapore and Thailand will not be allowed free entry into the country anymore.

The Cabinet has decided that a fee – probably about RM20 – be levied soon on these cars to offset some of the petrol subsidy that is lost to these vehicles.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal Shafie said the Government was looking at how much the levy should be and whether they should differ according to the type of vehicle.

“We need to look at the mechanism, how we are going to collect this payment and which authority should be in charge of the collection.

“There is going to be a meeting between my ministry and the relevant authorities including the Customs Department and the Road Transport Department to discuss this next week,” he told reporters after launching a direct-selling product at Armada Hotel here yesterday.

The Government, he said, was also looking into whether the charges should be imposed as a one-off payment or whether it should be based on the number of days the vehicles remained in Malaysia.

On Saturday, Tourism Minister Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor said tourists who drove into the country would be imposed with a RM20 entry permit.

Several years ago, Singapore authorities introduced an entry permit of S$20 (RM45) for foreign vehicles and S$4 (RM9) for foreign motorcycles entering the republic.

The Backbenchers Club has expressed its support for the move to impose the fee, MARSHA TAN reports.

President Datuk Shahrir Samad said the move came at the right time, especially with the rising cost of providing and maintaining public facilities.

“Even airplanes which use our airports have to pay airport tax. This has to do with maintenance of the public facilities. I don’t think it would affect the tourism sector,” said Shahrir, who is also Johor Baru MP.

Shahrir was speaking to reporters after launching the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) and Johor Baru-Singapore Taxi Owners and Drivers Association annual general meeting in Johor Baru yesterday.


This is excellent, the Swiss, the Austrians, and if I remember correctly the Czechs have taxed foreign cars for using their public road facilities, you get a little sticker to put on your windscreen. About time we let freeloading Singaporeans and Thai's do the same. If you drive to Singapore, SG registered car will always fill up their cars before they cross over.

More money come o Malaysia. I heard that Singaporean like to race along the highway-I saw by my eyes too, any one can confirm this?

More money come o Malaysia. I heard that Singaporean like to race along the highway-I saw by my eyes too, any one can confirm this?

Very common sight. Why?Singaporeans will lose their license immediately if they are caught 40 km/h above the speed limit in Singpore. There is no such law in Malaysia at this time and i hope they dont introduce it.

yep, it's abt time the gomen charges foreign registered vehicles for using our roads. after all, the locals need to pay road tax and there's no reason for foreigners to use our roads for free. plus, s'pore's been doing this for as long as i can remember.

Haha...it is amusing that we are all targetting Singaporeans. Have a heart......what about the Thais? :D


Are they really that bad? :? It is the Malaysian drivers whom I am afriad on the road. Yea...they speed a lot on our highways but apart from that, they behaved well on normal roads, much more than the locals ;)

Before again I accused being too Singaporean-friendly (which is not an offence) :D, let us ponder upon what this guy had to say in his letter. Apparently when I was about to write a reply to this thread, I found it ;)





Entry fee will hurt JB



I REFER to your report, “Entry fee for Thai and Singapore vehicles” (The Star, April 3)

The biggest beneficiary resulting from the move by the Government to impose entry fee for Singapore vehicles entering Johor Baru is the Singapore Government.

For years, the Singapore Government has been trying to deter its citizens from crossing over to Johor Baru to spend money on entertainment, shopping and dining. It even imposed the three-quarter tank rule so that the lure of cheaper fuel in Malaysia can be mitigated.

To understand the impact of the proposed entry fee, we must understand the demographics of Johor Baru.

The biggest group of Singapore vehicles entering Johor Baru belongs to Malaysians who possess Singapore PR and are working in Singapore.

This group of people choose to live in Johor Baru to stretch their hard-earned Singapore dollars and commute to and back from Singapore.

Under Singapore law, a PR holder cannot drive a foreign car in Singapore. Hence, the visibly high number of Singapore vehicles going in and out of Johor Baru during rush hours.

Understandably, this group of Malaysians working in Singapore is a major contributor to the well-being of the Johor Baru economy as they buy or rent houses, and spend a sizeable portion of their income on shopping and entertainment.

They are also less susceptible to the ups and downs of the Malaysian economy as they derive their income from Singapore.

This phenomenon explains why the Johor Baru economy depends so heavily on the well-being of the Singapore economy.

The entry fee, if imposed, will definitely induce these people to move out to Singapore because the savings are no longer there and to put up with the hassle of travelling in and out of Singapore is simply not worth it.

The next group of people is Singaporeans who come in as day-trippers to buy their groceries and to shop and dine in Johor Baru.

These people are quite price-sensitive and the RM20 may well deter them from coming. Notably, the restaurants and shopping complexes in Johor Baru will suffer as a result.

To those who said that nothing is free and the entry fee is justified to maintain roads and public facilities, have they forgotten the benefits of Singapore tourist dollars brought into Johor Baru?

Johor Baru would not have gotten to where it is today if it had not been for the proximity to Singapore.

I urge the authorities to seriously consider the pros and cons of making this move. Let us not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.



K.K. TAN,
Johor Baru.

My suggestion: charge a different price for foreigners that refuel at Malaysia's gas stations. No country is obliged to subside the petrol of foreigners. If someone cannot produce a malaysia IC when they refuel, they should be paying a higher price.

i sposed news like this yg buat some msians naik menyampah kadang2..


JOHOR BARU: Four shopping malls here want Singapore’s Sunday Times to explain the basis of its allegation that they are hotspots for theft of cars from the republic.


Holiday Plaza, Plaza Pelangi, Aeon Tebrau City and Giant Plentong management representatives said the unfounded claim had tarnished their image among Singaporeans.

In an emergency meeting yesterday, Malaysia Shopping Complex Management Association (Southern region) spokesman K.C. Loh said members were shocked by the groundless accusation.

"However, I do not think our members want to blow up the matter or take legal action against the paper.

"After all, most of our customers come from Singapore. Unlike the newspapers, it is not our intention to develop the matter into an issue and hurt our neighbour’s feelings."

Committee member Jenny Chan said damage control measures would be taken.

"It is our duty to inform everybody, including shoppers from across the Causeway, that we are not car-theft prone shopping malls. This message is very important," she said.

Johor Tourism and Environment Committee chairman Freddie Long said he would bring the matter up at the State Executive Council meeting tomorrow to decide on the next course of action.

Sunday Times, a paper in the stable of Singapore Press Holdings, reported that Singapore cars were the target of car thieves here, and warned its people to exercise extra caution when driving into Malaysia.

A similar report was published that same day (Sunday) by The New Paper, which is also in the stable of Singapore Press Holdings.

Titled "Why they target S’pore Cars: The Inside Story", the report claimed that "car thieves in JB eye our cars because (Singapore cars are) so new, so well-kept and so tempting".

Next to the article was an advertisement by a vehicle-tracking device company, which quoted five Singapore Straits Times reports that thefts of Singapore cars were on the rise in Malaysia.

Johor Baru Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry deputy president Datuk Soh Poh Seng said car theft was also a problem in Singapore but not given prominent coverage in the republic’s media.

"It is misleading for them to say that Singapore’s ‘new and well-kept’ cars are the reason for the thefts.

"Their statement reflects their level of ignorance. Why are they blowing this matter out of proportion when the number of cases involved in Johor Baru is negligible? Worst still, their facts and figures are all wrong.

"They are so eager to play up stories about crime in JB. Yet, they sweep everything under the carpet when it is crime in Singapore," he asked.

Singapore cars are not the target of thieves here, Johor Criminal Investigations Department Chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar reiterated.

Entry fee for Thai and Singapore vehicles

BY SA’ODAH ELIAS

PETALING JAYA: Vehicles from Singapore and Thailand will not be allowed free entry into the country anymore.

The Cabinet has decided that a fee – probably about RM20 – be levied soon on these cars to offset some of the petrol subsidy that is lost to these vehicles.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal Shafie said the Government was looking at how much the levy should be and whether they should differ according to the type of vehicle.

“We need to look at the mechanism, how we are going to collect this payment and which authority should be in charge of the collection.

“There is going to be a meeting between my ministry and the relevant authorities including the Customs Department and the Road Transport Department to discuss this next week,” he told reporters after launching a direct-selling product at Armada Hotel here yesterday.

The Government, he said, was also looking into whether the charges should be imposed as a one-off payment or whether it should be based on the number of days the vehicles remained in Malaysia.

On Saturday, Tourism Minister Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor said tourists who drove into the country would be imposed with a RM20 entry permit.

Several years ago, Singapore authorities introduced an entry permit of S$20 (RM45) for foreign vehicles and S$4 (RM9) for foreign motorcycles entering the republic.

The Backbenchers Club has expressed its support for the move to impose the fee, MARSHA TAN reports.

President Datuk Shahrir Samad said the move came at the right time, especially with the rising cost of providing and maintaining public facilities.

“Even airplanes which use our airports have to pay airport tax. This has to do with maintenance of the public facilities. I don’t think it would affect the tourism sector,” said Shahrir, who is also Johor Baru MP.

Shahrir was speaking to reporters after launching the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) and Johor Baru-Singapore Taxi Owners and Drivers Association annual general meeting in Johor Baru yesterday.


This is excellent, the Swiss, the Austrians, and if I remember correctly the Czechs have taxed foreign cars for using their public road facilities, you get a little sticker to put on your windscreen. About time we let freeloading Singaporeans and Thai's do the same. If you drive to Singapore, SG registered car will always fill up their cars before they cross over.


ok la tu sampai bila diorang nak masuk free aja.

I urge the authorities to seriously consider the pros and cons of making this move. Let us not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
K.K. TAN,
Johor Baru.
stms arr the goose that lays the telur emas arr also tinggal behind some messy stuff u know... ;)

stms arr the goose that lays the telur emas arr also tinggal behind some messy stuff u know... ;)


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

2 more days. no news of confirmation?

Another news regarding this matter

Foreign vehicles to pay entry fee
04 May 2006


PUTRAJAYA: The Road Transport Act 1987 will be amended to levy a charge on foreign vehicles that enter the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Cabinet would also decide on the quantum of levy to be imposed once the amendment was incorporated.

Speaking to reporters after chairing a Barisan Nasional meeting at his office here, he said the move would affect vehicles from Singapore and Thailand.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said last month that visitors from the two countries who used their cars to enter the country would be charged RM20 for an entry permit .

Najib, who is also BN deputy chairman, said the Government had received various views pertaining to the fee.

"Some people say we should not have it as it will discourage visitors," he said.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said motorcycles and heavy vehicles would be exempted.