Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is taking risk in removing subsidies even as BN is recovering from the 12th General Election Political tsunami. Election post mo term reports showed that rumors of fuel and food price rising was one of the main reason people opted for the opposition. The raising of global fuel up to US$125 a barrel, have forced the Government to scrap the subsidy.The government has announced that petrol price will go up by 78 sen, a 40.6 percent jump from RM1.92 per litre to RM2.70. The price of diesel will increase by a whopping 63.3 percent - from RM1.58 per litre to RM2.58. The price hikes are among government measures to drastically cut the spiralling bill for oil subsidies, which is expected to amount to RM56 billion this year. The government plans to offer rebates to motorists to offset the fuel price increase. Under the scheme, vehicles below 2000cc will receive an annual rebate of RM625 to compensate for 800 litres of fuel used under the new price. Owners of private motorcycles of engine capacity of up to 250cc will be paid a cash rebate of RM150 per year. The money will be paid by money order. Rebate will be paid when motorists renew the road tax for their vehicles.
TIPS TO SAVE FUEL
1. Keep your car tuned up. Cars in poor running condition use more gasoline
2. Plan trips well to avoid unnecessary driving.
3. When you run your air conditioner you get much worse gas mileage. Use your air conditioner sparingly. If you have a lower setting, use it. Turn it on until the car gets cool, then turn it off and let the fan circulate the cool air. Never run your air conditioner with your windows open!
4. Keep your windows closed when traveling at high speeds. Open windows cause additional drag and lower your gas mileage. At high speeds, an open window can use more gas than many air conditioners (especially if they are on a low setting).
5. Check your tire pressure . Over-inflated tires can actually reduce your fuel efficiency, so don't overfill.
6. If at all possible, change your work start time to avoid gridlock. Stop and go traffic hurts your gas mileage.
7. Try not to idle your engine for long periods of time. If you are stuck in traffic and you don't think you are going to go anywhere in the next five minutes, you may want to turn your car off.
8. You no longer need to warm your car up for long periods of time, especially new cars. New cars are made to run when cold.
9. Don't travel at fast speeds in low gears unless you need the compression to slow down.
10. Try to drive the speed limit.
11. Try to accelerate slowly when leaving the stop light. It's not a competition with the driver in the lane next to you. The fastest person through the intersection just gets to spend more on gas.
12. No need to buy the highest priced gasoline. Most cars are built to run on regular unleaded. Check you owners manual or consult a mechanic. I have had many tell me that the more expensive gas is a waste of money.
13. Revving the engine needlessly wastes gas. There is no need to rev before you turn your vehicle off.
14. If at all possible, try to arrange car pools with co-workers to share the cost of commuting to work.
15. Walk, bike or run to your intended location whenever possible.
