Panel disapproves fees on expats for using public roads

Manama : A committee in the Council of Representatives has rejected a proposal to impose fees on expats for using public roads.

This comes as the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee issued a report rejecting a proposal submitted by two MPs who demanded to double the vehicles’ registration fees for expats as a return for using public roads in the Kingdom.

Submitted by MPs Jalal Kadhim and Ghazi Al Rahma on December 14, 2015, the proposal states that “expats vehicle owners should pay double the fees that are born by Bahraini citizens by amending some of the provisions of Law 23 of 2015 (Traffic Law)”.

The MPs originally demanded to double the fees of the issuance of driving learning licenses and driving licenses for non-Bahrainis, but later limited their proposal to the registration fees. However, the proposal exempts GCC nationals.

Both MPs said the proposal would “provide the necessary revenues for the sustainable development of public roads construction, development and maintenance”.

Kadhim and Al Rahma also affirmed back in 2015 that the move would reduce the public debt, overcome the increasing traffic congestions, promote the public transportation sector, prioritise public spending by dedicating national resources to only serve citizens, curbing high consumption of subsidised fuel and reduce the environmental side effects caused by vehicles.

Kadhim insisted earlier that “the procedure is ordinary and claimed that it is implemented in regional countries such as Jordan and Malaysia”.

Headed by MP Abdulla Binhowail, the committee studied the proposal for over 30 months and discussed it with several authorities, including Interior Ministry and the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) in addition to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee in the council.

90k expats own cars 

In its reply to the committee, Interior Ministry provided the latest statistics released by the General Directorate of Traffic, with regards to expats owning registered private vehicles in the kingdom.

According to the General Directorate, a total of 89, 723 expats own private vehicles in Bahrain. The directorate said that the statistics were issued on March 28 last year.

Representatives of the ministry’s Legal Affairs rejected the proposal, justifying their decision to committee members by saying that “the proposal would be an additional financial burden on expats and requires more studying of its pros and cons”.