PM Anwar on getting toll-free travel right

DAVOS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government is working on a more targeted approach for the provision of toll exemptions during festive seasons.

He said that similar to previous subsidy adjustments, toll exemptions should only be provided to the B40 and M40 groups, not to everyone.

“Some have raised the issue of why the toll exemption is for everyone, even luxury cars such as Rolls Royce, Mercedes and Maserati benefit, so perhaps we should be more thorough to ensure that the lower-income groups are given special consideration.

“This is currently being refined. (Works) Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi has only outlined the basic principles, stating that we cannot continue to subsidise everything like electricity and fuel,” he told a press conference following his attendance at the World Economic Forum here, Bernama reported.

On Tuesday, Nanta said that 2024 would be the final year for the provision of toll exemptions during the festive season, and that last year’s Cabinet meeting had decided to seek a more targeted approach, which will be announced soon.

The decision was in line with the unity government’s policy of ending blanket subsidies in favour of those targeted at low-income households and vulnerable groups, he was quoted as saying.

During the two-day toll-free Christmas travel period last month, the government spent RM38mil on subsidies to highway operators.

For the 2023 Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the government forked out RM93mil to 33 major highways so that users could benefit from toll-free travel in April of that year.