PUTRAJAYA — Several JPJ branches have been directed to take down a notice which says the Road Transport Department is no longer issuing physical road tax for private vehicles, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke said the directive was issued by JPJ director-general Rospiagos Taha to the branches which said physical road tax would not be given beginning August 1 this year and that customers should renew their road tax online using the MyJPJ application.
“The (road tax) sticker is still being issued. Several branches ran out of stock and put up a notice on the non-availability of physical road tax, but it is not a policy decision. We took quick action on finding out that branches have run out of stock and will continue to order new stocks,” he told a press conference today.
Loke said the Transport Ministry had yet to set a cut-off date for the full transition to digital road tax and vehicle owners have a choice to continue using the physical sticker.
“But there will come a time when we will transform to fully digital. No decision has been made yet; it would take six months to one year before going fully digital,” he added.
Loke said according to JPJ, only 30% of vehicle owners have opted for the digital road tax.
He had previously announced that private vehicle owners no longer need to display the road tax on their vehicles beginning February 10, 2023 and can opt for the digital mode.
He said this digitalisation can reduce congestion at JPJ offices and counters by up to 80% and give savings of RM96 million a year in terms of sticker and card costs.
It is said that an average of 1.5 million vehicles need to renew their road tax every month.
Asked on the planned closure of several routes in Kuala Lumpur beginning Saturday (August 5), Loke said he had given his views to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that this decision should be reviewed as it could cause more congestion in the affected areas.
Although the matter is under the jurisdiction of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and not his ministry, Loke felt that there should be proper planning and engagements with the public before road closures were decided.
DBKL has announced that Jalan Sungai Besi towards Sungai Besi or Petaling Jaya (in front of Fraser Business Park) and the Loke Yew Roundabout will be closed for a year until August 4, 2024 to enable renovation works and construction of a bridge at the roundabout. – August 2, 2023