Mechanic Lives Dream of Not Paying Road Tax for 23 Years, Eventually Caught

Of course, we should all be paying our taxes, folks.

By: Robbie Bacon

Feb 7, 2025 at 9:29am ET

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I'm willing to bet that I have a similar feeling toward paying taxes as most of the people reading this—I hate it. I hate how little tax the super-rich pay, and I really hate the feeling of paying taxes for the same thing, like road tax, which is often under the purview of several other tax systems depending on the country.

If we all stopped paying taxes, well, things would get bad pretty quickly, so let's live vicariously through this Malaysian man for a moment.

A 61-year-old Malaysian mechanic was stopped while riding his motorcycle and questioned by the police before they discovered he hadn't renewed his motorcycle road tax for the past 23 years. After he was questioned, and found to have last paid road tax in 2002, his motorcycle was seized during a Road Transport Department operation.

The Road Transport Department Chief, Mohammad Yusoff Abustan, said, "Strict action will be taken against the motorcycle owner for violating Section 23(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which requires all motor vehicles on the road to have a valid Motor Vehicle Licence (LKM)." He added that vehicles that don't have valid road tax might not be covered by insurance in the event of an accident.

The mechanic tried to defend himself by claiming that he only rode his motorcycle within residential areas and stayed off the main roads. But it's unlikely his claims will be enough to get him out of this situation.

What do you think?

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If found guilty, the man in question faces fines of up to $612, or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. Let us know how you feel your tax dollars are being put to work on the roads where you live.

Do you think you're getting your money's worth, or are your bills falling through the cracks?