Parti Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua. - Filepic/The Star
KOTA KINABALU: The Transport Ministry should immediately consider implementing a downward revision for the vehicle road tax rate in view of the poor road conditions across the state.
Parti Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua said the ministry should also consider a 20% "one-off" subsidy for spare parts for all vehicles below 2500cc that were usually damaged or spoiled by poor road conditions.
"The ministry must consider providing such ‘one-off’ subsidy spare parts involving the vehicle suspension, absorbers and mountings that are usually damaged by bad road conditions," he said in a statement Friday (Dec 9).
"We are suggesting that this will help lighten the burden of the people in Sabah and the Transport Ministry must include such subsidies under Budget 2023," he said.
Padua proposed that the subsidy could be in place for at least two years as poor road conditions were continuing to burden the people who had to pay a high cost to repair vehicles damaged due to the bad roads.
Padus hoped that Transport Minister Anthony Loke would give serious consideration for the relief as part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's unity government “people's agenda”.
"The people of Sabah have high hopes for Datuk Seri Anwar's leadership because we all want an immediate solution to the economic problems and stagflation which is getting worse in this country," he said, adding that Anwar showed direction when he reduced the size of his Cabinet and took a 20% pay cut.
"The smaller Cabinet and pay cut give us an impression that the government does want to waste funds when the people are suffering," he said.
Padua said measures like reducing road tax and providing subsidies for spare parts would be a way to assist people facing critical issues in Sabah.
