Loke: Driving licence renewal duration may be extended to up to 10 years

 

PARLIAMENT | Driving licence holders may be able to renew their licence up to a maximum of 10 years soon, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

During the winding-up speech of his ministry, Loke said he had asked his officers to come up with a paper to allow vehicle users to do so.

“For now, a driving licence can only be renewed for up to a maximum of five years. I have asked my officers to allow users to be able to renew their driving licenses for up to 10 years.

“If they were to renew it for 10 years at one go, we could provide a deduction on the fee to encourage the people to renew their driving licence for a longer period.

“This could be implemented in the future,” he said.

He was replying to questions from Kalam Salan (Perikatan Nasional-Sabak Bernam) on the relevance of driving licence renewal.

Kalam also questioned if the abolishment of the licence renewal would benefit the people.

Road tax

Loke also acknowledged suggestions by netizens for a lifetime driving licence which would only be paid once.

However, he said the ministry needs to review the suggestion as it would involve a financial implications to the government.

“When driving licence fee is collected every year, it contributes to the government’s revenue through the Road Transport Department,” he explained.

In a related matter, Loke said his ministry does not have plans to reduce the price of road tax for vehicle users in the country but will consider reviewing the structure on how the road tax is charged.

“We must understand that the collection from road tax is a revenue for the government.

“From the road tax alone, it is almost RM3 billion worth of revenue.

“Since we are facing a decrease in revenue, any decision to reduce the price of road tax will have a negative impact on the government's income,” Loke said.

On road tax for electric vehicles (EVs), the Seremban MP said a comprehensive study will be carried out on the price structure as the tax holiday for EVs will end in 2025.

“This is so that it is in line with the government’s policy to promote the use of this type of vehicle.

To encourage the use of EVs, he said there should be various incentives such as competitive tax prices and charging stations. - Mkini