MOST existing car owners stand to gain from the planned road tax cut in July, even with more ERP gantries and higher charges coming up this year.

This is because many still do not pass a gantry now. According to the Land Transport Authority, there about 300,000 ERP transactions a day for the more than 3 million trips.

A recent survey conducted by The Straits Times involving 295 motorists found that 46 per cent pass a gantry and 70 per cent of them pay $3 or less every morning.

If congestion does not ease, that number who pay and the amount they pay chould rise when 16 more gantries come on this year - as announced by the Government on Wednesday.

Will they end up paying more in ERP than they will save with a 15 per cent cut in road tax taking place from July?

Some will enjoy a small windfall.

They will collect the tax savings and not incur any ERP charges because their route and travel patterns do not take them past a gantry.

Businessman Darren Cheong, 47 who owns over half a dozen sports cars stands to gain from tax cuts for each of his big-capacity cars.

As for paying more in ERP, he said: 'I can only drive one car at a time.'

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.