Tuesday July 8, 2008
Toll study ready in two months
KUALA LUMPUR: The findings of the special committee set up last month to study the impact of toll rates on consumers and 28 companies given highway concessions will be tabled to the Cabinet in two months, said Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad.
The committee, chaired by Malaysian Highway Authority chairman Datuk Syed Jamal Syed Jaafar, was studying the effect the prevailing economic situation was having on the two parties concerned, he told reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from a Selangor MCA delegation led by state chairman Datuk Tang See Hang at his office here yesterday.
Suggestion list: (From left) Mohd Zin receiving the memorandum from Tang at his office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. With them is Lee. The delegation also presented him a memorandum calling for highway tolls in Selangor to be markedly reduced or abolished.
“I will take note of the suggestions and the input from the discussions and will bring them up to the Cabinet for a decision,” said Mohd Zin.
Selangor MCA deputy chairman Datuk Tang See Hang, who handed the memorandum to Mohd Zin, said he had received a lot of complaints from the grassroots about the rising cost of living and hoped that the Government would intervene.
Its state secretary Senator Datuk Lee Sing Chooi said that 18 of the 28 concessionaires were operating in Selangor.
“It is not fair for consumers to pay toll and still face congestion, especially at the junction of Damansara (PLUS Highway), Sunway toll plaza (Damansara-Puchong Highway) and Sungai Besi toll plaza (Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway),” he said.
About 25% of the income of an average RM1,500 earner in Selangor was spent on toll charges, he said.
The Selangor MCA suggested that all toll contracts be made public, that the subsidy from Petronas be used to buy back PLUS and thus reducing toll rates, and that all 18 tolls plazas in Selangor be reduced or removed in stages.
According to the memorandum, PLUS should not be allowed to increase toll charges as it made a profit of RM1.2bil last year.
Noting that Khazanah and the Employees Provident Fund hold 74.05% of equity in PLUS, it said the Government would only need to buy 1.3 billion shares and pay RM3.43bil based on current market rate to own PLUS totally.
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