GEORGE TOWN: Owners of luxury cars seized for expired road tax are usually quick to put things right, with most reclaiming their prized vehicles within one to three days.
Penang Road Transport Department (JPJ) director Zulkifly Ismail said many owners wasted little time renewing their road tax and settling their compounds after enforcement officers impounded their cars.
However, he said the speed at which they could recover their vehicles depended largely on whether their motor insurance policies were still valid.
“Most of them settle everything within one to three days. They renew their road tax, pay the compound and get their cars back,” he said during the Penang JPJ Media Appreciation Night on Friday.
Zulkifly said some motorists bought six-month road tax although their motor insurance policies covered a full year.
This allowed them to renew their road tax immediately after their vehicles were seized, provided the insurance remained valid.
However, owners whose insurance policies had expired faced a longer process.
He said such cases required motorists to appear before a magistrate, where they would be fined for the offences.
“The delay is usually because they have to wait for their cases to be brought before the court. It depends on when they can get a court date.”
He said the compounds payable by motorists whose insurance were still valid would depend on when the offences were settled.
In May, Penang JPJ revealed that it seized 51 luxury vehicles worth about RM14mil under Ops Luxury between Jan 1 and May 21.
Some owners had driven their expensive cars for years without renewing their road tax.
One BMW had not had valid road tax since 2020, while a Jaguar’s road tax expired in 2021.
A Ford Mustang, which carried an annual road tax bill of RM10,900, had not been renewed since 2022.
The unpaid road tax for the 51 vehicles amounted to about RM175,000.
During the operation, JPJ issued 137 notices and enforcement actions for various offences.
Ops Luxury began in Penang in June last year, with 73 luxury vehicles seized during the remaining seven months of last year.
While wealthy motorists could often settle their offences within days, owners of motorcycles seized during operations against unlicensed foreign workers using them could wait up to three months.
Zulkifly said all these cases had to go before a magistrate.
