The Increse Of Petrol Price In Malaysia

I am from Malaysia and recently there is this increment of fuel price in malaysia that cause a lot of frustration. This morning i read an article in my paper, there is this writer talking about the realistic picture of KL fuel. I agreed what he is writing there... We really cannot compare Malaysia to other country. Although Malaysia's fuel is lower than most other South-east Asia countries but when you know how much a normal worker earn a month, you will see the problem there...Like what the writer mention, the cost of living in malaysia is very high. He compare a Malaysian worker who earns RM2,000 a month and his Singaporean counter oart who earns $2,000.

With that kind of earning power, the Malaysian worker would not be able to afford a computer. This is because a computer cost RM2,000 in Malaysia, but in singapore, one can buy the same model for $1,000... Therefore, in the justification of the petrol price hike, we cannot compare Malaysia with the rest of South-east Asia.

And i read another email that have forward to me by one my of Malaysia friend... The calculation is so open and you can see the problem of the petrol price hike cause most Malaysian...

In Malaysia, the heavier burden is caused by cost of travelling to work. The cost of travelling will have to include:

1. toll charges
2. amortisation of the vehicle's cost over the economic useful life of the vehicle, or, for those who have obtained loan financing, the monthly loan repayments
3. the annual vehicle maintenance cost (tyres, brake pads, engine oil, spark plugs, etc)
4. road tax
5. Parking
6. petrol

If you analyse above carefully a huge chunk of the expenses goes to car amortisation cost and toll charges. Everyone who has travelled overseas knows for a fact that Malaysia has one of the highest numbers of tolls in the country and very high excise duties on cars.Take a real life example of a typical average worker in Malaysia earning a take home pay after deducting EPF of RM 2,000 a month. He drives a small Kancil (cost RM27,000) and travels to and from work each day from his home in Cheras averaging about 40 km. His typical monthly travelling cost is:

Amortisation of car for 10 years ($27,000/10/12).............$225
Petrol (based on current price)................................................ ...........$200
Maintenance of car................................................... .............$100
Road Tax ($50/ 12)................................................... ....................$4
Parking ...................................................... ................................$90
Total Travelling Cost per Month..........................................$619
Percentage of Travelling Cost to Take-Home Pay............................31%


I really feel that it's really hard living in Malaysia when everything is so expensive...