KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — The Singaporean government clarified today that its Reciprocal Road Charge (RRC) will stay as long as only its citizens get charged by the Malaysian Road Charge.

According to a statement from the Singaporean High Commission, the RRC will be lifted as soon as the entry fee of the same amount is implemented at all Malaysian borders with Thailand, Brunei, and Indonesia as well.

"As long as Singapore is the only country affected by Malaysia’s Road Charge, we have no choice but to respond with the Reciprocal Road Charge (RRC),” the statement said.

"However, once the Road Charge is implemented at all of Malaysia’s other land borders (Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia), at an equal quantum and on all non-Malaysian-registered cars, we will remove our RRC.”

It said, unlike Malaysia’s Road Charge, Singapore’s Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) affects only one out of 10 foreign-registered vehicles, mostly by those who work in the republic, as the other 90 per cent enter Singapore during VEP-free days or hours.

"Singapore’s VEP policy, which has been in place since 1973, is meant to equalise the cost of owning and using foreign-registered vehicles in Singapore with that of owning and using Singapore-registered vehicles. 

"It ensures comprehensiveness of our vehicle population control policy — that there is similar restrain to using foreign vehicles on Singapore’s roads as there is for Singapore vehicles, which are subject to the Certificate of Entitlement system and high vehicle taxes.

"Hence, the intent of the VEP policy is different from that of Malaysia’s Road Charge,” it said.

From February 15, all foreign-registered cars entering Singapore via the Causeway from Johor will have to pay S$6.40 (RM20), called the Reciprocal Road Charge. This will be on top of the existing VEP, toll charges and fixed Electronic Road Pricing fees that drivers must pay at the checkpoints.

Singapore already charges S$35 for the VEP on foreign-registered cars entering the city-state, although each vehicle is given 10 free days a year and there are no charges during the weekends. Cars entering Singapore between 5pm and 2am from Monday to Friday are also exempt from VEP.

Malaysia also has its VEP, which requires Singapore cars to register with Malaysia’s Road Transport Department before entering the country. While registration has been suspended until further notice, it is not known if the charge has been implemented, as it had been postponed several times.

In November last year, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi announced that Malaysia will only implement a road charge at the Thailand border by end of this year.