New firm to manage parking collection in 4 S'gor local council areas
SHAH ALAM : A newly appointed concession company, Rantaian Mesra Sdn Bhd, will take over parking fee collection and enforcement in four Selangor local councils from Aug 1.
Local government and tourism committee chairman Ng Suee Lim said the company was appointed by Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI Selangor) for the first phase involving the local councils in Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam and Selayang.
He said this was part of the state government's efforts to boost parking revenue, which currently amounts to only about 30% collection from 1,000 designated bays.
'The concessionaire will handle both fee collection and enforcement, under close supervision from the councils and the state government.
'We target a collection rate of over 60% and hope to reduce double parking in busy areas,' he told reporters on the sidelines of the Selangor state assembly sitting here today.
Ng said the revenue would be split equally, with the concessionaire receiving 50%, while the remaining 50% would go to the state, of which 40% would go to the councils and 10% to MBI Selangor.
He denied claims of a closed tender process, saying 26 companies responded to a request for proposal before three were shortlisted.
'The final company was selected based on strict performance conditions. If targets are not met, the 10-year contract can be terminated any time,' he said.
Ng said the new system would not lead to higher parking rates, which would remain between 40 and 60 sen per hour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Anwar: Govt has secured more than RM63b investments through National Semiconductor Strategy as of March 2025
PETALING JAYA, July 24 — The government has secured more than RM63 billion of investments under the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) as of March this year, with RM5 billion from domestic sources and RM58 billion from foreign sources, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said among the notable projects included Carsem's advanced packaging for energy efficiency, electric vehicle (EV), connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI); NXP's semiconductor products, Infineon's world's largest 200mm silicon carbide (SiC) power fab; Syntiant's MEMS microphone and sensors; and Plexus's manufacture and re-manufacture of printed circuit Boards. On growing 10 semiconductor companies with revenue more than US$1 billion; and 100 with revenue more than RM1 billion, he said Malaysia now has at least 13 homegrown companies across the semiconductor value chain, emerging as potential national champions. 'Nine of them, including Carsem, Inari, Pentamaster, ViTrox, and Kelington, are each expected to generate over RM500 million in revenue this year. The other four are IC (integrated circuit) design and development firms with strong momentum, such as OppStar, SkyeChip, Infinecs, and Experior, each recording annual revenue growth above 25 percent. 'Fifty years from now, we want Malaysia to be able to look back at this moment as the tipping point when the country began grooming its very own Fortune 500 tech companies,' he said in his keynote address at the Asean Semiconductor Summit (ASEMIS) 2025 here today. On the aim to create 60,000 engineers and given how tight the labour market is for skilled tech talent, the prime minister said CREST and HRD-Corp are entering into a collaboration to develop a robust tech talent pipeline for the semiconductor industry from 2025-2030. 'This is a key commitment under the NSS, for which our proposed allocation is RM1.2 billion over five years,' he noted. Launched on May 28, 2024, the NSS is a government initiative designed to transform the country into a global powerhouse in the semiconductor industry. The strategy outlines a three-phase plan, backed by RM25 billion in fiscal support and targeted incentives. It aims to attract significant investments, develop local champions, and nurture a skilled workforce, and move Malaysia up the semiconductor value chain, focusing on integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, and manufacturing equipment. Moving forward, Anwar said Malaysia is now ready to provide stronger backing for the NSS, particularly in growing the 10+100 national champions, which will focus on three key areas. 'We will unlock more catalytic capital to support early-stage research and development (R&D), product development, and ecosystem scaling. This includes a suite of targeted financing instruments, matching funds, and customised incentives, alongside continued investments by our government-linked investment companies (GLICs), all aimed at strengthening local semiconductor capabilities and advancing Malaysia's position in the global value chain,' he added. To date, Anwar said the government has received commitments of more than RM2 billion in various forms to support the industry's development. 'This includes support by GLICs like Khazanah and KWAP (under the GEAR-uP initiative), Bank Negara Malaysia and through partnerships with global players. The government will also elevate its semiconductor diplomacy through deeper government-to-government cooperation, expanding market access for Malaysian firms and forging trusted technology partnerships. 'As Chair of Asean 2025, Malaysia will lead efforts to strengthen regional collaboration, positioning Asean as a resilient and competitive hub in the global semiconductor value chain,' he continued. In strengthening the talent ecosystem via the CREST and HRD Corp initiative, Anwar said the government will also drive stronger collaboration across public, private, and academic institutions to build a future-ready and industry-relevant workforce. 'We will also intensify our R&D efforts through strategic collaboration between government, industry, and academia, ensuring Malaysia builds focused capabilities and remains competitive in a rapidly evolving, high-tech global landscape', he added. — Bernama
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Scams, mule accounts top threats to Apac banks
PETALING JAYA: A new industry poll by global analytics software leader Fico has found that scams and mule accounts have become the dominant threats facing banks across the Asia-Pacific (Apac). Seven in 10 (69%) senior banking executives identified these forms of criminal activity as their greatest concern, reflecting the continued rise of scams in which victims are tricked into sending money directly to criminals. Unlike traditional fraud, which typically involves unauthorised transactions that banks can detect and block, scams often bypass existing defenses because payments are authorised by the victim. Once the money is sent, criminals rely on mule accounts to quickly move funds across institutions and borders, making recovery extremely difficult. The findings echo a growing alarm across the financial ecosystem, as scam-related losses reach historic highs across the region. In 2024 alone, Singapore reported more than S$1.1 billion (RM3.6 billion) in scam losses, a 70% surge from the previous year. Thailand saw ฿60 billion (RM7.2 billion) in damages, while Malaysia's losses were estimated at a staggering RM54 billion, or nearly 3% of gross domestic product. Similar trends were reported in the Philippines and Indonesia, where scam-related activity now dominates cybercrime reports. In a statement yesterday, Fico, a company that is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions, said the poll found that more than half of banking leaders (52%) view social media platforms as the top external threat vector for scams, followed by messaging apps (35%). In a region with more than two billion social media users, platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram have become key channels for targeting scam victims and recruiting money mules. It said that criminal syndicates use these platforms to impersonate officials, promote fake investments, or advertise bogus job opportunities. Many victims are lured into schemes that appear legitimate on the surface, while others are convinced to 'rent out' their accounts in exchange for quick cash, not realising they are enabling financial crimes. In Thailand, more than 200,000 mule accounts were shut down in a single year. Singapore has introduced legislation that criminalises the supply of mule accounts and gives banks and authorities powers to act in real-time. The poll also found banks face internal barriers to detecting and responding to scams. The most common issue cited was siloed data (46%), followed by a lack of connected insights across products and channels (28%), and limited real-time integration with third-party systems (13%). 'Scam activity is often fast, fluid, and fragmented,' said Fico managing director of Asia-Pacific Dattu Kompella. 'To respond effectively, banks need connected systems that provide a complete, realtime view of risk. Without breaking down internal silos and unifying insights across teams, many institutions will remain on the back foot.' The poll also explored bank leaders' views on reimbursing scam victims. Just 14% said banks should fully reimburse customers in all scam cases. Half said compensation should only apply when the bank is at fault, while 36% supported a shared responsibility model between banks and customers.
Free Malaysia Today
11 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Delaying SST expansion would jeopardise fiscal stability, Anwar tells Guan Eng
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the SST's expansion is expected to generate RM5 billion in additional revenue in the second half of this year and RM10 billion for the full year in 2026. KUALA LUMPUR : Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has rejected a call by a backbencher to delay the expanded rollout of the sales and service tax (SST), saying that this would harm the government's fiscal position and its ability to serve the public. Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the SST's expansion is expected to generate RM5 billion in additional revenue in the second half of this year and RM10 billion for the full year in 2026. 'The proposal to delay the expansion of the SST's scope would result in our failure to achieve revenue targets,' he told Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) in a written parliamentary reply. 'This, in turn, would affect the government's fiscal position and its ability to carry out its responsibilities to the people.' Lim, a former finance minister, had asked whether the government could postpone the expansion of the SST's scope until the economy improves. The SST's expansion took effect on July 1. Lim, a former Penang chief minister, also asked whether Putrajaya could disclose how much of the new tax burden falls on citizens versus non-citizens. Anwar said such a breakdown could not be accurately determined as the tax system generally does not record revenue based on taxpayers' citizenship status. He added that most of the new taxes applied to higher-end or non-essential services, such as private healthcare and education services for foreigners but not locals. He also said small clinics earning less than RM1.5 million annually and landlords with rental income under RM500,000 a year were exempted. The finance ministry announced last month that a 5% to 10% tax rate would be applied to non-essential goods, while the service tax would be extended to cover rentals, leasing, construction, financial services, private healthcare, and education. However, it said imported apples and oranges would be exempted from the tax, citing affordability issues for lower-income groups such as the B40. Beauty services like manicures, pedicures, facials, and hairdressing were also excluded following public feedback.
