Latest news with #governmentpolicy
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Abolishing tolls would cost billions, says minister
The toll hike freeze was among the initiatives announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on July 23. PETALING JAYA : Abolishing tolls instead of deferring hikes may cost the government billions of ringgit in maintenance, says works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi. Nanta said scrapping tolls was not a straightforward move, and that deferring increases was a more practical and realistic option. Alexander Nanta Linggi. He added that savings from not abolishing tolls could be redirected to benefit Malaysians in states without tolled highways such as Sabah, Sarawak, and Terengganu. 'It's not easy to abolish tolls because the government must find a huge sum for maintenance work if that happens. 'In my view, we don't need to abolish tolls for now. But if these (concession) companies have achieved their returns on investment, and if the toll rates are burdensome, then we can reduce them,' he said during ministerial question time in the Dewan Rakyat. He did not specify the exact amount needed to abolish the tolls. Nanta was responding to Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN–Besut), who asked what had happened to Pakatan Harapan's pledge to abolish tolls during the 15th general election. He reiterated that the government was compensating highway concessionaries with RM568.92 million, or over half a billion ringgit. The deferral on 10 highways would also benefit about 941,000 users, he added. 'We hope this deferment will help ease the cost of living, especially for frequent highway users who commute to work each day,' he said. The toll hike freeze was among the initiatives announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on July 23, as part of what he described as 'appreciation for Malaysians'. The 10 highways involved in the deferment are the Cheras-Kajang Expressway (Grand Saga), KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR), North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB), Senai-Desaru Expressway (SDE), East Coast Expressway Phase 2 (LPT2), South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (JSAHMS), Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), KL-Putrajaya Expressway (MEX), and Butterworth Outer Ring Road (LLB).
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Dairy and Business Owners Group on scrapping card surcharges
Small businesses say the government's payment surcharge changes are unfairly targeting them and it should instead be putting pressure on banks. Dairy and Business Owners Group chairperson Ankit Bansal spoke to Charlotte Cook. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Won't Introduce a Wealth Tax, Government Minister Says
A UK government minister said Keir Starmer's administration won't introduce a wealth tax, pouring cold water on an idea that has been promoted by some in the Labour Party. 'We're not going to do anything daft like that,' Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told GB News on Friday. 'I say to people: 'Be serious about this.''
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Student Arrests, and a Suit Challenging Them, Tread New Legal Ground
'It is risky because obviously the courts might decide the government can deport people because of what they say, and that would be just an incredible setback — a terrifying setback, I would say — for freedom of speech.' MICHAEL KAGAN, a law professor, on U.S. efforts to deport foreign students who espoused pro-Palestinian views under a little-used policy provision.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Fixing Shrewsbury floods 'isn't rocket science', locals say
Businesses in Shrewsbury have said they are frustrated by a perceived lack of action taken by authorities to tackle flooding, following a visit from MPs. The Environmental Audit Committee's Flood Resilience Inquiry paid a visit to the town, which is a key case study they are examining in efforts to influence government policy. Mark Edwards runs Chase Car Care Centre, which floods often, and said he feared locals' feedback would be "forgotten about."A spokesperson for the committee said it shared locals' "sense of urgency on the need for better protection to this crucial issue." MPs from the committee visited the Shropshire market town as part of efforts to understand the impact of flooding and explore how it can be tackled. Mr Edwards, whose business is just metres from the River Severn, said he was sceptical of what the inquiry would achieve."I was hoping there was going to be an answer, a solution to what's going on - but obviously not," he said. Dilwyn Jones is from Sabrina, which offers boat tours of Shrewsbury's River Severn, and said he felt frustrated by the MPs' visit. "We just feel that we're banging our heads against the wall", he said, adding that he felt there was a tendency to "overcomplicate things.""I don't think we need more pilot schemes - I don't really think it's rocket science," he said. Julia Buckley, MP for Shrewsbury, and the committee's chair Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, were amongst the said she was "really hopeful that some of our recommendations will be taken up by government.""I'm confident we'll write a fantastic report and put forward really very bold recommendations," she said the inquiry would question how institutions work together to address flooding, as well as making sure housing was built without increasing flood risk."There's a number of recommendations in various areas, as well as the fact that we always want the government to spend more on these things," he said. Siobhan Connor from Shrewsbury Flood Action Group provided evidence to the inquiry earlier this year, and has urged the authorities to move faster. "We're not particularly happy, we've been saying the same things again and again," she said. "We've told them what needs to happen - we need to move at pace with this." Katia Sanhueza-Pino works for the National Flood Forum and lives in flood-prone Shrewsbury."Standing around and talking in terms of ideas that need to be developed into action is the first step - but that has been going on for years," she said."Residents and businesses in Shrewsbury are just tired of waiting." A spokesperson for the Environmental Audit Committee stated that the group "knows that flooding is an issue that many communities across the country are deeply worried about."They added that they were "grateful to the flood victims and officials we met at the five sites we visited" and added that they "share their sense of urgency on the need for better protection to this crucial issue." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
