Umno grassroots are upset over the recently announced toll hike which will come into force tomorrow. They want it revised, claiming it puts further economic stress on the people.

Kepong Umno Youth chief Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman said the toll hike should be postponed as the public were already burdened with rising costs caused by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the falling ringgit, which hit a 17-year low.

"They (the government) gives plenty of excuses such as agreements with the concessionaires but I want the government to review (the toll hike).

"The country is experiencing a currency drop and with the GST, the haze and everything, and now, there is a toll hike. That's not appropriate," he told Malaysiakini .

He said if the government had wanted to raise toll rates, it should have been done after Budget 2016 was tabled and passed.

"(Do it after) the government announces appropriate rebates, when the people are feeling happy and confident with the government. Then only can you impose a toll hike," Abdul Razak added.

Umno Seputeh's publicity chief Mohd Shariff Badaruddin questioned why the highway concessionaires could not follow the Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan Berhad's (Plus) example of delaying toll hikes.

"If Plus can hold off raising toll prices, why can't the other concessionaires?

"The people are already been hit with the GST, and now they get another hike. When GST was implemented, they said prices would drop four percent but instead prices went up," he fumed.

What happened to GST revenue?

He said toll fares should either be maintained at pre-hike rates or lowered.

"There's more cars and more road-users and they (the concessionaires) get more money so why raise fares?

"Can't the government bear the cost with GST revenues? Where has the GST money gone to?" he said.

Likewise, when contacted by Malaysiakini , Bandar Tun Razak Umno Youth chief Mohd Amir Abd Halim agreed that the toll increase should be reviewed

Effective Thursday, 18 tolls concessionaires will be raising their rates by up to 100 percent.