Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Reasons for Significant Difference in LTA Fees when Transferring Vehicle Registration Number to Used Car Compared to New Car

Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Transport what are the reasons for the significant difference in LTA fees when transferring a vehicle registration number to a used car compared to a new car.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     The Land Transport Authority provides system-generated vehicle registration numbers (VRN) at no cost to vehicle owners. Most vehicle owners (66%) accept these numbers.

2.     In response to requests, LTA decided in 2003 to allow existing owners to retain an existing VRN on used vehicles. The fee to transfer a VRN to a used car is pegged to the minimum bid amount of $1,000 for a new vehicle registration number, and a replacement fee of $300. This ensures parity between retaining and bidding for a VRN which are both discretionary services.

3.     We acknowledge the difference in fees for existing car owners to retain their VRN on used cars as compared to new cars. We are considering a review of the fees.