Off-peak car owners get more perks from Jan 25

[Inahime]

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Posted: 08 January 2010 1209 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Owners of off-peak cars (OPCs) will enjoy more perks from Monday, January 25.

These include unrestricted usage of their cars on Saturdays and on the eves of 5 public holidays. These public holidays are New Year, Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas.

They also enjoy rebates of up to S$1,100 for every six months registration as an OPC when they convert their normal cars.

The initiatives, first announced in August last year by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), aim to make the OPC scheme more attractive.

It is in support of LTA's overall objective to better manage congestion during peak periods.

The removal of usage restrictions on Saturday and the eve of five public holidays will be accompanied by adjustments to the tax concessions.

The annual road tax discount will be reduced from S$800 to S$500 under the revised OPC scheme. The minimum annual road tax will be S$70, instead of S$50 under the existing OPC scheme.

This means that existing OPC owners who opt for the revised OPC scheme will have their annual road tax discounts reduced by between S$20 and S$300. This is because the tax concessions given to OPC owners were computed taking into consideration the restricted usage periods.

Vehicle owners who register a new car as an OPC under the revised scheme will continue to enjoy an up-front tax rebate of up to S$17,000.

Existing OPC owners can apply to convert to the revised OPC scheme to enjoy the extended usage hours in exchange for reduced tax discounts with payment of a one-time administrative fee of S$100 and road tax top-up.

Those who remain under the existing OPC scheme are required to purchase an electronic day licence if they wish to drive their OPC between 7am and 3pm on Saturdays and eve of the five public holidays. - CNA/vm



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[Hakka Tiow]

Lee Kuan Yew had once said if Singaporeans insist on owning cars just to park and polish them, then the Government would oblige. Off peak scheme was thus born.