There is much hullabaloo over the fact that our members of parliament have been issued with Approved Permits (APs) to import cars for their own personal use.

I think to let one MP have one AP is not a big deal so long as they are not allowed to transfer the AP to make a profit.

The real issue is that of the 300-odd MPs given an AP so far, how many of them have used their special status as an MP to influence the Customs and Excise Department into giving them a 'discount' on the import duties of the cars they imported?

The question here is, how many of them have cheated the government of its revenue, ie, in the form of under declaring the value of the cars they imported with their APs.

Releasing the list of MPs given APs is not enough. The Customs and Excise Department should also release details of the import duties and taxes paid by MPs when importing their cars so that the public will be able to see whether government revenue was safeguarded.