The flip-flop over the decision on ending free toll during festive periods has been amusing, to say the least, but some quarters are saying that the government should have stuck to its guns on the move to end it. According to several economic experts, the 50% highway toll discount for Chinese New Year is a compromise that serves little purpose, as The Star reports.
Economist Barjoyai Bardai said the government is making the right move in abolishing the toll-free initiative considering that the expenses it bore could have been used for other assistance. “This is an ad hoc initiative and the government spends around RM200 million annually. In 10 years, it would be RM2 billion,” he said.
“Such an amount could be used to cover more comprehensive assistance like education, housing or basic necessities like food or the affordable meal initiative, Menu Rahmah,” he added.
This sentiment was echoed by Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Road Safety Research Centre head Law Teik Hua, who said the compensation could be better used for other purposes, like supporting underprivileged groups. Law added that offering free tolls encourages people who are not celebrating the festival to use the expressways, potentially increasing congestion.
Meanwhile, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman economics professor Wong Chin Yoong said that the original purpose of the toll-free gesture was to allow easier travel during festive seasons by reducing traffic congestion at toll plazas.
“However, the government is now linking the toll free measure to targeted subsidies where only B40 and M20 should benefit. It’s too complicated for a two-day toll fare discount to be associated with a welfare policy. It is not well-designed or well-targeted and is not an effective measure,” he said, adding that the angle of offering a 50% discount during the period would not have a significant impact on reducing the cost of living for anyone.
On January 21, the government announced that it was ending free toll for festive seasons as of this year, starting with Chinese New Year. On January 22, deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that having free toll does not solve festive congestion, before prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim followed up the next day by revealing that a targeted approach (ensuring that only those who deserve it get free toll) was being worked on.
It took only another day for things to change, with the government then announcing that it would offer a 50% discount for highway toll from 12.01 midnight on Monday, January 27 until 11.59 pm on Tuesday, January 28 for Class 1 private vehicles at all toll plazas except those at borders, namely the Sultan Iskandar Building Toll Plaza on the PLUS North-South Highway and the Tanjung Kupang Toll Plaza on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link (Linkedua).
