Raise Heavy Vehicle Taxes To Fund Road Repairs - Expert

Prof Dr Law Teik Hua of UPM’s Road Safety Research Centre has proposed that the government consider imposing higher taxes on heavy vehicles such as trucks and trailers, citing their significant role in damaging road infrastructure.

“The extra revenue could help ease the Works Ministry’s estimated RM4 billion annual road maintenance costs,” he stated in a FMT report.

However, Law stressed that such a policy must be backed by stronger enforcement, such as weigh-in-motion systems at key locations and safeguards to ensure the added tax burden doesn’t fall unfairly on end users.

Law further recommended tougher penalties, including licence suspensions, for transport firms that repeatedly exceed weight limits, and called for a “polluter pays” model where fines fund road repairs.

To encourage regulatory compliance, he also proposed a blacklist system for repeat offenders, transparent fund management, and incentives like tax breaks.

Meanwhile, Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, founder of the transport think tank My Mobility Vision, proposed introducing a road-use tax or special levy on heavy vehicles, similar to systems used in Germany, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

He explained that such charges are typically calculated based on a vehicle’s weight and the distance it travels.

“The tax revenue should go into a dedicated road maintenance fund, used exclusively by the works ministry for road repairs and upkeep.” he told FMT.


Wan Agyl also believes fines from overloading should go directly into a dedicated road repair fund, not the federal consolidated fund, to ensure damages caused by heavy vehicles are properly addressed.

Without this, he warned, the ministry shoulders costly repairs while enforcement penalties drain the general budget.

“This is not about punishing the logistics industry but about protecting public infrastructure. Without proper accountability, roads are being abused while the public ends up footing the bill through general taxation,” he was quoted as saying.



The Works Ministry announced on Wednesday that it lacks the financial resources to repair high-risk roads across the country, including the East-West Highway, estimating the required funds at nearly RM4 billion. its minister Alexander Nanta Linggi had previously stated that overloaded heavy vehicles are a primary cause of potholes and road damage.