Tourism collection from visitors from Brunei far outweighs the 'pittance' Sarawak gets from road charge, says Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
PETALING JAYA: A Sarawak state minister has called for the federal government to stop the road charge imposed on foreign-registered cars entering the country from neighbouring Brunei and Indonesia, The Borneo Post reported today.
Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the state is against the RM20 road charge as it has a negative impact on the state’s economy and tourism.
“The VEP collection is really pittance with the state only getting RM5 out of the RM20 collected.
“This is especially so when we compare it with the expenditure by tourists and visitors to the state, which will be greater in number if we do not have such a road charge in place,” he told the Kuching-based daily.
Awang Tengah added that the government must also consider the Pan Borneo Highway project which is meant to facilitate easier travel in the state and across borders.
He was speaking at an event in Lawas, which he said was one of the major destinations for visitors and tourists from Brunei, aside from Miri and Limbang.
The state also has a significant number of visitors from Indonesia, he added.