True or not...

[GHS]

Wah... first time in history that I hear the possibility of LOWER toll rates http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/8/nation/21183679&sec=nationQuote: "...The Works Ministry will review highway concessions which may result in lower toll rates..."Let's hope it comes true... :rock:

 

[astroboy]

If toll rate lowered, we will travel more, so they have to subsidise more petrol..

 

[ALBundy]

Hope this will be true and the government will adopt more populist measures to lessen the burden on the rakyat. The need to review the lopsided concession agreements are long overdue, better late than never!:top:

 

[fabianyee]

The contracts were drafted for GUARANTEED profit for the concessionaire. Well, that's not the problem, of cos they need to be sure it's profitable for such a big business undertaking. Problem is the HUGE profit for major tolled main arteries like LDP Sunway... Probably 99.99% of those staying in Puchong would need to use this way to go work...

 

[astroboy]

They put a highway in Puchong, the property prices boom and was not affected by the tolls. So the Puchong folks should still thank them??

 

[fabianyee]

They put a highway in Puchong, the property prices boom and was not affected by the tolls. So the Puchong folks should still thank them??

it's a double-edge sword. Better access, yes.. ppl don't mind paying toll. but why raise the toll rates when they are already making more than enuf profit.. This is holding ppl by the balls.. Bcos there isn't a good alternative toll-less route..

 

[syahruln]

hope this is not a coy to avoid reducing petrol price. My toll expenses is only about 1/3 of my petrol expenses. I'll surely benefit more from petrol price reduction.

 

[fabianyee]

hope this is not a coy to avoid reducing petrol price. My toll expenses is only about 1/3 of my petrol expenses. I'll surely benefit more from petrol price reduction.

Actually, toll rates and petrol would not be a problem if we have higher spending power.... Instead of spending money for subsidy, efforts should be made to ultimately increase everyone's earning power... Of course, it's not something easy to execute... but think about it, we don't have that many years left to pump crude oil from the bottom from our seas. When the black gold runs out, so will the subsidy... It's not sustainable to keep subsidising the petrol we depend upon.. Money should use to build up the economy, provided it doesn't go into certain quarters' coffers only.. Should have long term benefit for everyone..

 

[astroboy]

Rightly said. The poor spending power of an average Malaysian has stop many investors to invest here because they can't charge a reasonable margin in the retailing market for Malaysian. Even the corporate sector has poor spending power... sad and true.

Keeping the inflation low is not the answer, ultimately price will have to increase accordingly due to the higher imported raw materials (economy leakages) and its impossible for Gomen to keep funding it to control inflation. And these Gomen fund is coming from the citizens too.

The new gold rush is in China and all countries are sending their best man there to dig while Malaysia is complaining that we speak too much Mandarin and should speak more Bahasa.. thus discouraging employer to hire staff with Chinese language as a preference. How to compete globally? Japanese can do it, why can't we? Well! Japanese exported how many cars and consumer electric items a year and what about us?

Even US has recently drop their Spanish language as 2nd language and replaced by Mandarin language. What has our gomen done?

U sell to me, I sell to u. Can the economy grow? While raw materials for whatever items made here is imported... jia lat!!! Every 5 BMWs sold here, RM1m has leak to Germany and can we sell an equivalent value of palm oil to Germans? If yes, then not too bad and where has all the money gone too! If not, Malaysia currency is just a deflating balloon.. or was it fully deflated lio...

 

[davidtch]

Astroboy, well said. If ppl up there think like u, we will b d 5th/4th dragon. Now like now.

 

[cempaka]

The problem with tolls in this country is with the lack of real transparency in the concessionaires. Without regular independent audits and books open to the public, the rakyat just has to take their word every year that they haven't made enough money yet. And guaranteeing healthy profits to private companies with public money is dumb anyways, but we all know what cronyism means.