LET us hope that the finance minister in his budget proposals today will not overlook the plight of senior citizens who use old jalopies for commuting daily.

Statistically speaking, luxury cars such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Perdana V6 no longer serve their original rich and powerful masters after the first five to 10 years, or even 15 years later. Thereafter, these cars normally would find their way to the lesser known used-car dealers to be sold eventually to senior citizens, who prefer them because they are cheap, yet are more reliable, comfortable and spacious.

Incidentally, senior citizens are not sitting on gold mines, save for the EPF contributions accumulated over the years. Those from the government service are luckier and are much better off, as they draw monthly pensions.

The current road tax for these cars is by no means low. Now that the price of fuel has risen drastically, it becomes even more critical.

I have a 1983 Mercedes Benz, Model 126 Petrol (280SE Automatic). It looks like it will soon be collecting dust in the garage if the road tax continues to increase.
I hope the finance minister will revise the road tax structure for these old vehicles accordingly or exempt it totally.