Rolls Royce Among 38 Luxury Vehicles Without Road Tax Or Insurance Seized By Penang JPJ

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- The Penang Road Transport Department (JPJ) has seized 38 luxury vehicles valued at more than RM10 million in 'Ops Luxury' for not having valid road tax (LKM) and vehicle insurance.

Penang JPJ Director Zulkifli Ismail said that the operation, which has been carried out since June, focused on luxury vehicles used on the road without complying with the stipulated legal requirements.

"The seized luxury vehicles include Rolls Royce, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Ferrari, all of which had no LKM and insurance for between six months and more than two years but were still used on the road.

"Based on the inspection, it was found that the Rolls Royce, valued at more than RM3 million, had the highest road tax value at RM54,000 per year and had not been paid for a year. The total amount of unpaid road tax for all the seized vehicles is RM77,400," he said during a press conference at the Penang JPJ office here today.

He said the owners of the luxury cars were companies and individuals, including company owners, corporate members, businessmen with 'datuk' titles, and doctors and when flagged down, some of the vehicles were being driven by family members or company employees.

Zulkifli said that these actions not only result in a loss of national revenue but also affect other road users in the event of an accident. He added that the most common reason given was forgetting to renew the road tax.

He said all the luxury vehicles were being held at the state JPJ office until the owners paid the summonses and renewed their road tax and insurance, even if they had complete and valid ownership documents.

"They were seized and are being investigated under Sections 23 and 90 of the Road Transport Act 1987. The operation will be continued to ensure all vehicles comply with the regulations.

"We are not fighting against luxury vehicles, but this enforcement is important for the safety of road users because if an accident occurs involving a vehicle without insurance, it will cause problems for both the owner and the third party," he said.

-- BERNAMA