1,700 diesel, diesel-hybrid goods vehicle owners to get $1.4m in road tax refunds after LTA error
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LTA discovered the discrepancy in March 2025, and has since amended the subsidiary legislation to reflect the correct rates with effect from Nov 28.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
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- LTA will refund 1,700 diesel/hybrid GPV owners for excess road tax collected from August 2022 to November 2025 due to a discrepancy.
- Erroneous rates of $298 and $390 were published, instead of the correct $372 and $487, in 2020 legislative amendments, according to LTA.
- LTA will issue refunds via GIRO or PayNow, notifying recipients via e-notification, SMS or letters.
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SINGAPORE – Some 1,700 owners of diesel and diesel-hybrid goods-cum-passenger vehicles (GPVs) will receive refunds totalling about $1.4 million for road tax collected from Aug 1, 2022, to Nov 30, 2025.
This is because there was a discrepancy between the rates of the road tax collected and those stipulated in the relevant legislation during that period, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Nov 28.
During that period, the road tax collected from motorists was at the correct rates, but the rates published in legislation were lower than intended.
LTA said it will refund affected GPV owners the difference between the legislated and collected taxes, including interest, in early 2026.
Apologising for the error, LTA said it has introduced measures to tighten its internal processes to avoid such future incidents.
The six-monthly road tax rates for diesel and diesel-hybrid GPVs collected from Aug 1, 2022, were $372 for vehicles with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 3.5 tonnes, and $487 for vehicles with a maximum laden weight above 3.5 tonnes.
“However, when legislative amendments were made in 2020 to effect these rates, the rates specified were erroneously published as $298 and $390, respectively,” LTA said.
LTA discovered the discrepancy in March 2025, and has since amended the subsidiary legislation to reflect the correct rates with effect from Nov 28.
Refunds will be made via GIRO if affected GPV owners have registered their bank details with LTA on their OneMotoring account, or via PayNow if they have registered for the electronic fund transfer service.
No further action is needed from owners who have already provided their payment details, LTA said. Once the refund is credited, LTA will notify recipients through an e-notification, SMS or hard-copy letter.
Owners who have not provided bank account information or registered for PayNow will be notified by LTA to update their bank details via the OneMotoring website or to register their PayNow account with their bank and inform LTA.
To protect the public against scams, notifications from LTA will not contain any clickable links, and LTA will not contact individuals by phone to request personal information, the authority said.
