Originally posted by ditzy:
I have reason to believe the news article on this thread is outdated, no source, no dates, nothing at all.
I can't find the threadstarter's news article but here are a few others regarding this matter:
RE:
http://travel.asiaone.com.sg/news/20070130_001.htmlLevy on foreign cars will not turn away S'poreans: M'sian Tourism Minister
By Adrian Lim - Jan 30, 2007
AsiaOne
He says decision to impose the RM20 levy is still under review
Malaysia's plan to impose a RM20 levy on incoming foreign cars is still under review but its Minister of Tourism is confident that it will not adversely discourage Singaporeans from driving across to Johor.
Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor would not say when the levy would be implemented, stating that the issue is only a matter of Singaporeans "getting used to it".
"You got nowhere else to go. We got good roads, beautiful sights", he told reporters at a media briefing yesterday in conjunction with the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2007.
The levy, which is meant to defray the fuel subsidies that have kept Malaysian pump prices among the lowest in the region, was to have come into effect on Sept 1 last year but Malaysian ministers have been sending mixed signals on whether to impose it or not.
At the briefing yesterday, Tengku Adnan also fielded questions on the crime situation in Malaysia and the impact of the recent Johor floods.
Singaporean visitors accounted for some 7.9 million of the total 14.4 million tourists to Malaysia from January to October last year. Tengku Adnan said he does not expect a fall in the number of Singaporeans even if the levy on foreign cars was imposed.
He said that Singaporeans would continue to go to Malaysia where they could buy groceries from the markets and supermarkets at heavily subsidised prices by the Malaysian government for its own people.
On the other hand, he said that Malaysians coming to Singapore have to pay a much higher car levy of "S$20 x 2.3."
"But we don't grumble and you got less roads than us," he added.
He explained that no decison had been reached on the levy as it is still pending the Attorney-General's approval, and they have yet to resolve who would collect it - whether it is the immigration, toll operators or customs.
Turning to the spate of crimes committed against Singaporeans in Johor and other parts of Malaysia, Tengku Adnan said that given the 20 million trips made by Singaporeans into Malaysia yearly, the crime rate of 0.005 per cent was not high and has in fact been falling in the country.
"I'm not saying it's good," he said, stressing that Malaysia would take action to further cut the crime rate to attract more tourists.
For example, he said police bases were being beefed up, more tourist information centres would be set up, and more security equipment and devices, including surveillance cameras would be installed.
A Lianhe Zaobao report today, quoting Johor police, said that out of the 29,079 crime incidents reported in 2006, 386 involved Singaporean victims, who were either robbed, had their cars stolen or whose homes in Johor were broken into.
Giving an update on the flood situation, he said that all areas in Johor are now accessible, except for some roads in Batu Pahat which are still being blocked by landslides.
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RE:
http://news.asiaone.com/bt/bto_20070130_222819.htmlOriginally from The Business Times:
Speaking in Singapore at the launch of Visit Malaysia Year 2007, Mr Tengku Adnan said that the recent floods in Malaysia should not deter tourists, as the roads going up to popular destinations such as Genting and Kuala Lumpur were not affected.
He said hotels in Johor had been occupied 'to their brim' during the recent flooding.
He said that despite the proposal for a RM20 levy on cars visiting Malaysia, the target of 10 million Singaporean tourists in 2007 was 'achievable, according to Singapore travel trends'.