KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — The Transport Ministry does not benefit from any funding initiatives derived from the proceeds of vehicle number plate sales, as all revenue generated is channeled into the Federal Consolidated Fund instead.
Its minister Anthony Loke said the total revenue from number plate sales in 2023 reached RM311.8 million, which included proceeds from the sale of special registration numbers (NPI) totalling RM21 million.
The NPI sales commenced in 2019, with bidding offers initiated in 2023, featuring the serial number M_M.
“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 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a query from Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, 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 cover the driving test fees for Class B2 motorcycle, e-hailing, and taxi licences, thereby benefiting over 40,000 underprivileged youths.
He added that 100,000 helmets, including children’s helmets, were also distributed free of charge to financially disadvantaged families.
“The FLYsiswa initiative will be continued to benefit nearly 60,000 students from low-income families, especially in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, along with financial initiatives by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) for nearly 50,000 taxi drivers, rental car drivers, and school bus drivers,” Loke said.
The ministry has also recently introduced the NPI for the GOLD series, with RM17 million in total collection thus far.
“As mentioned earlier, the GOLD1 serial number was bid by His Majesty, the King of Malaysia, for RM1.5 million, contributing to government revenue. Half of these proceeds were returned to the Transport Ministry to implement the initiatives as stated,” he said.
Responding to a supplementary inquiry from Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong concerning fraudulent activities related to vehicle registration number sales on social media, Loke urged the public to only bid through the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and cautioned against purchasing from third-party sources to prevent falling victim to fraudulent schemes.
“If you intend to bid, use the government’s JPJ 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 said.
— Bernama
