Highway tolls can’t be abolished within 100 days, govt has other monetary priorities to address – EPF CEO

Highway tolls can’t be abolished within 100 days, govt has other monetary priorities to address – EPF CEO

It’s been revealed that the Pakatan Harapan government’s promise to abolish toll collection within 100 days upon taking office cannot be finalised. According to a report by The Star, CEO of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan told Bernama that the government had other monetary priorities to address at this time.

He also said the abolishment process is rather complicated and involves several parties. “We have given some suggestions and ideas (to the government) but ultimately, any toll restructuring is indeed a zero-sum game where one needs to make a payment whether or not it provides a balance between the users and the concessionaires,” he told the press after speaking at the Economic and Leadership Forum 2018 on July 28.

“I think the government also wants to be fair because toll removal and compensation to the concessionaires will transfer the burden to taxpayers, and I think that [being fair] is the priority of the government,” he said.

Highway tolls can’t be abolished within 100 days, govt has other monetary priorities to address – EPF CEO

Pakatan Harapan said the Penang bridge would also be toll-free if it won in GE14

Earlier this month, works minister Baru Bian said the government was trying hard to fulfil promises in the GE14 manifesto. “What we have promised, we will have to do it,” he said, adding that the rakyat will have to be patient because the abolishment process cannot be rushed. A timeline of five years has been mooted to facilitate the complete removal of tolls.

Should the government take over all toll operators’ debt obligations through a privatisation deal, it will need fork out over RM55 billion, excluding compensation. Meanwhile, finance minister Lim Guan Eng said the promise to abolish tolls will be looked at once the country’s financial situation improves.

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Comments

  • This pakatoon gov is a joke!
    Where are the fools who believed they can abolish the toll in 100 days?
    Please donate more to tabung tiada harapan so that we can get 55 billion, and soon we can abolish the tolls.
    LOL!

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 79 Thumb down 29
  • LatukBandar on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Anyone that believes our debt is RM 1 trillion is considered the ‘uneducated’ people as said by Mahathir. If our debt is really 1 trillion and now the official figure by BNM at RM680 billion, then someone is lying, is it PH or BNM?

    Take note that BNM report this figure to the World Bank and IMF. Our debt stood at a healthy level at 50.8% and not at 104% in 1987 when we are unofficially bankrupted by Mahathir.

    Now, saying we do not have the fund because of our debt is simply saying we never intend to keep our promises, we just need to lie to win votes.

    Anyone that worships Lim Guan Eng or Lim Kit Siang is no different from those brainwashed Germans during the Nazi era when they worshipped Hitler.

    Dont make promises you can’t keep. At least Najib knows it is not feasible to abolish toll due to the loopside agreement signed by the Bapa Toll Mahathir.

    Just look at Grab, for Mahathir, Grab is the problem, but Grab is the answer to our taxi industry. This is because the taxi companies are Mahathir’s cronies.

    Mahathir is not here to save Malaysia, he is here to make even more money for his son and jobless grandchildren. He has no need for money anymore, but his next generation does. Good luck Malaysians, we’ve voted for a corrupt politician over another corruption politician.

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 98 Thumb down 32
    • RejimKejamGanas on Jul 30, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      Idiots who never learned from history are doomed to repeat it and make everyone else suffer. I bet all those idiots that are so proud their community is fully behind DAP and Pakatan still have not learn anything. Bankruplah Malaysia macam ni. Already billions being wiped out from our stock market, it is a matter of time!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 8
  • karam singh on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:35 am

    Fair and logical plan from EPF CEO. Abolish toll collection within the metropolitan first.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 5
  • Kenny Tan on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:36 am

    If abolishment cannot be done at the moment, perhaps the GOVT should ask the toll operators to reduced the charges instead as national services to the nation and its people.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
  • Big Wave on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:37 am

    I just want to highlight here, that before election you guys know that we have 1MDB scandal. And you guys know that Malaysias government have too burden burden from hutang yet you guys still confident saying that you guys can abolish tolls and all of the manifestos. And we as rakyat also know that too.. we as a rakyat knows that BN government left us with so much hutang. But because of your manifestos, we rakyat decided to change the government. The biggest wave is the mindset change of the Malays. Yes its the Malays that change your fate. But now everything you said cant be done because of the previous government punya hutang. No. We dont want to hear that bro. What is the point of you becoming a gpvernment but still acting like an opposition blaming the previous government? Give us specific time not a lame excuses.

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 69 Thumb down 8
    • Its like you know you are sick before you see the doctor. Once you see the doctor, the doctor gets access to your body and do some test and finds out that you are worse than you think. That is a simple explanation to your above understanding. Give the doctor sometime to fix you. Dont be those patient that scream and shout at doctors thinking they are miracle workers.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 31
      • But at least, doctors won’t make any promises at all that you’ll be cured. And you should not believe any doctor that can give you a miracle pill to cure you.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 3
      • Dr Strange on Jul 30, 2018 at 1:33 pm

        Some docs have ethics, some don’t. For this case, the body was just afflicted by a mild case of flu but the doc diagnosed it as stage 3 cancer which entails a barrage of tests and extreme treatment that eventually harmed the body fatally. Throughout from start, the patient never questioned the doctor nor listen to the voice of reason from the body, and thus THE FINAL END.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 1
  • musangKing-originalz on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:42 am

    when election ini boleh itu boleh…suddenly ini tak boleh itu tak boleh…pannai wei…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 51 Thumb down 7
    • dong gor on Jul 30, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      Step 1 is to win. Without step 1 nothing can be done to improve Malaysia.Any party would have done the same to promise what ppl want. For PH, at least they are trying to fulfill some of their manifesto, if not all. Give them 5 yrs. By then we Rakyat can chose again… and that is the purpose of elections!!!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 19
      • Ghani on Jul 30, 2018 at 1:39 pm

        At the rate they’re ‘eating’, there is little hopes that anything will be left inside BNM within 5 years!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 3
  • johnissohai on Jul 30, 2018 at 11:17 am

    if cannot abolish, at least reduce the price

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • Ben Yap on Jul 30, 2018 at 11:20 am

    tolls cannot be abolish. mau guna, mesti bayar.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 8
  • Corrupt-Less Gov on Jul 30, 2018 at 11:26 am

    that is fine. rakyat voted BN out for less corrupted ruling party. it will take long time to really tackle corruptions fully to its core due to corruption started more than so many years ago. even BN had problem fulfilling its manifestos and worst came out with a lot “spinning” and confusing stories to try to convince the people that some have been fulfilled (cars price reduced but in fact it is only done by reducing some components inside). we voted to PH so Malaysia wont continue to fall due to the need to support the lavish lifestyle of a few.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 19
  • Rakyat Malaysia on Jul 30, 2018 at 11:33 am

    Come on guys. We gave the ex government 60 years and they almost bankrupt the country and cant we give the new government a bit more time to do what their promise is? No doubt the timeline is over promised but better be late than never. If anyone has better idea, why not propose to the new government then?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 30
    • Rakyat Malaysia on Jul 30, 2018 at 1:37 pm

      If we had better idea, we wouldn’t be voting for this Gomen ady.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 2
    • RejimKejamGanas on Jul 30, 2018 at 4:39 pm

      Problem is, new gomen is not doing what they promised. They are also making the situation worse. They attack GST kaw kaw, but after remove GST, hardly any difference. With SST coming back, expect things to get worse. Also, Bapak korupsi want to raise our import tax higher some more, so that Protongkat can come back as top seller without improving themselves. So please tell me how this bunch of lanuns are better than the previous ones? FYI, the current ketua lanun is the actual one that created this mess, so how is he going to save us?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
  • 25or6to4 on Jul 30, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Abolishing toll is not part of the 100-day promise by PH. The EPF CEO has misspoken. Will probably be next to be axed after this.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 13
  • David Gan on Jul 30, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    Lesson learned: Never trust any government promises during election period.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 3
  • PakMatTempey on Jul 30, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    Same shit.. different shirt.. PH, this is your first and last term.. Next PRU, see you on the side of the Parliament seats..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 35 Thumb down 6
  • kenot on Jul 30, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    That is a bad move. but I hope the new goverment will continue the expansion lane project for johor highway.

    I’m still waiting what the new gov can do to improve our transport system. Please no more national car project. what we want is a good and efficient public transport in all region.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • This Price Hike government only know to make promises and not keeping it.. all of them AUTA lebih!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 2
  • Suara Rakyat on Jul 30, 2018 at 1:12 pm

    1st rakyat need to know “WHO CREATED TOLL”

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 0
 

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