'No plan to impose 12-year car age cap'

THE government does not have plans to set a lifespan cap for vehicles as such a move will burden the rakyat.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said there were no plans by the government to introduce such regulations.

"The proposal may be a finding by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), but the government does not have plans to introduce the cap," he said yesterday.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru) who asked whether the ministry would be implementing the suggestion from Miros to set a 12-year age cap for vehicles on the road.

The proposal was mooted when Miros revealed that vehicles aged above 12 years were considered "less safe" and could pose risks to road users.

He also said the government had taken a number of steps to reduce road tax for vehicles with lower motor capacity including by bringing down road tax for vehicles below 1,000cc from RM30 to RM20 in 2009.

"For vehicles with a capacity of 1,400cc to 1,600cc, the rate was reduced to RM90 in 2009 compared with RM127 in 2007 and RM254 in 2005."

To a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang) who asked if the ministry would introduce tax exemptions based on the amount of carbon dioxide emission by a vehicle, Aziz said the government had no such plans.

"The government will refer to the Finance Ministry on this."

To an earlier question from Azalina, Aziz said the last standardisation involving road tax was done via the 2012 Budget, which saw road tax for taxis and rental cars of RM20 being removed and a RM2 device charge imposed.

Read more: 'No plan to impose 12-year car age cap' - General - New Straits 

Pembangkang tak yah risau lagi.Tak jadi pun..huhu