PARLIAMENT The federal government spent RM1.1 billion from 2008 to 2013 to compensate all highway concessionaires in the country to stop them from raising toll rates as stated in the concession agreements.

In a written answer in Parliament to Nga Kor Ming (DAP-Taiping), the Works Ministry said the government is expected to fork out another RM400 million in compensation for the 2014 calendar year.

The RM400 million will be the highest amount that the government will fork out since 2008, as it paid RM339 million and RM310 million in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Out of the 15 highways listed, the Sprint Expressway and the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) were the largest recipients, at RM281.84 million and RM257.78 million respectively over the past five years.

The compensation amounts also seem to have been increasing progressively each year since 2008, starting at merely RM56.8 million in 2008 and climbing above RM300 million in 2012.

Shortly after the general election last year, the government mulled raising tolls in some major highways and finally pushed back the plan as concerns over rising living costs rose.

Eventually, the government opted to pay the concessionaires RM400 million in compensation and pledged to review lopsided concession agreements.

However, so far, no decision has been made on the toll conesssionaire agreements.