KUALA LUMPUR – The Transport Ministry does not benefit from any funding initiatives derived from the proceeds of vehicle number plate sales; rather, all revenue generated is channelled into the Federal Consolidated Fund.
Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook stated that the total revenue from number plate sales in 2023 reached RM311.8 million, which included proceeds from the sale of special registration numbers (NPI) totaling RM21 million.
The NPI sales commenced in 2019, with bidding offers initiating in 2023, featuring the serial number M_M, he added.
“However, for the year 2024, as announced by the prime minister during the presentation of Budget 2024, a portion of NPI sales will be allocated to the less privileged,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was addressing a question from Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar-PN), who sought information on the revenue generated from NPI bidding offers and details about the initiatives undertaken by the ministry utilising NPI proceeds from 2018 to 2023.
Loke emphasised that a portion of the proceeds from NPI sales was allocated to covering the driving test fees for Class B2 motorcycle, e-hailing, and taxi licences, thereby benefiting over 40,000 underprivileged youths.
He also stated that 100,000 helmets, including children’s helmets, were also distributed free of charge to financially disadvantaged families.
“The FLYsiswa initiative will continue to benefit nearly 60,000 students from low-income families, especially in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, along with financial initiatives by Perkeso (Social Security Organisation) for nearly 50,000 taxi drivers, rental car drivers, and school bus drivers,” he said.
Loke added that the ministry had recently introduced the NPI for the GOLD series, with total collection amounting to RM17 million thus far.
“As mentioned earlier, the GOLD1 serial number was bid by His Majesty, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for RM1.5 million, contributing to government revenue. Half of these proceeds were returned to the Transport Ministry for the implementation of initiatives as stated,” he highlighted.
Responding to a supplementary inquiry from Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka-PH) concerning fraudulent activities related to vehicle registration number sales on social media, he urged the public to only bid through the Road Transport Department (RTD) and cautioned against purchasing from third-party sources, to prevent falling victim to fraudulent schemes.
“If you intend to bid, use the government’s RTD e-bidding system, and avoid third-party channels. Raising awareness is vital as we aim for the revenue to contribute to government funds, enabling us to implement more initiatives to assist the people,” he emphasised. – March 19, 2024