VEP may be imposed on Thai vehicles

The Transport Ministry will propose to the government that vehicles from Thailand entering Malaysia be imposed the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) charge.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi said it was hoped that the charge could be coordinated with the VEP charge imposed on foreign cars from Singapore entering through Johor, due to be implemented on Jan 1, 2015.

He said the move to impose the VEP charge on vehicles from Thailand like those from Singapore was to standardise the cross-border fee system in the country.

"It will ensure that the entry of foreign vehicles into Malaysia is done in a more organised manner. We also want to protect our borders from irresponsible intruders such as human traffickers and smugglers in drugs, firearms and subsidised diesel," he told reporters after attending a meeting on coordinating entry of foreign vehicles (Thailand to Malaysia) here on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had earlier announced that the government had agreed to implement the VEP charge on foreign vehicles from Singapore entering Johor, as proposed by the Johor state government.

In SINGAPORE, the city-state's Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said Singapore was still awaiting details on Malaysia's proposed entry fee on non-Malaysia-registered vehicles entering Johor.

"We have not been officially informed of it by the Malaysian government. We are concerned whether it is directed towards Singaporean vehicles.

"We have contacted the Malaysian government to seek details, and are awaiting their reply before deciding on our response," she said in an oral reply during question time in Parliament on Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees.