HCM City considers adjusting seaport infrastructure fees

HCM City’s Seaport receives over 60% of goods declared in neighboring provinces. Photo: T.H

60% of goods fail to carry out procedures in HCM City

HCM City has received feedbacks from ministries, government agencies, associations and businesses related to the inappropriate fee collection time and differences in fee rate between goods declared inside and outside HCM City.

Regarding the regulation on the fee difference for goods declared in HCM City and in other areas, the leader of the city’s Department of Transport citied the Law on Fees and Charges as saying that the seaport infrastructure fees must be paid by organizations and individuals when using services infrastructure works, service works, and public utilities in HCM City Seaport. The fees rate is taken into account the factor to ensure the traffic order and safety.

According to the statistics, only 40% of goods are implemented customs clearance in HCM City, 55% of cargo are implemented procedures in neighboring provinces and 5% of goods are temporarily imported for re-export, stored in bonded warehouses, transited or transshipped.

Thus, 60% of goods fail to carry out procedures in the city, but used the city's infrastructure and utility services, causing great pressure on the city's transport infrastructure, congestion, traffic accidents, and environmental pollution in the seaport and affecting people's quality of life.

According to the City’s Department of Transport, firms that open declarations in the City have contributed revenue into the city's budget, solved labor and ensured social security. Therefore, these businesses are allowed to pay a lower fee than those that open declarations outside the City, to ensure fairness.

According to the city’s government, the fee for importing and exporting 20-feet container is VND500,000/container, VND1,000,000 for a 40-foot container and VND30,000/ton for liquid and bulk cargoes unpacked in containers. After considering the payment of fees, taxes and social conditions, the city has reduced 50% of fees for firms that carry out procedures in the city.

The fee rate for import and export opened declarations outside the city is higher than for goods opened declarations in the city to regulate traffic and reduce pressure on the city’s infrastructure system. Therefore, importers and exporters can implement procedures in other provinces such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long An.

The fee rate must be specific

On June 2, the Ministry of Finance requested the the People's Committee of HCM City consider proposals of businesses and National Assembly deputies.

Earlier, on May 20, the ministry held a meeting with representatives of the city’s government on the recommendations of the National Assembly deputies, localities and businesses related to seaport infrastructure fees under Resolution 2020/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2020 of the People's Council of HCM City.

Based on the contents of the meeting, the Ministry of Finance requires the People's Committee of HCM City urgently report to the City Council to amend Resolution 10/2020/NQ-HDND stipulating a specific fee for goods implemented customs procedures in the city and for goods opened declaration in other provinces, to ensure fairness, transparency, equality of rights and obligations in accordance with the Law on Fees and Charges.

The ministry also requested the city’s government to develop the fee rate to create conditions for businesses and the economy to recover and develop in the new situation, to research and refer to the fee rates of localities that have seaport such as Hai Phong, and to adjust the toll rate for goods in transit, goods temporarily imported for re-export, goods stored in bonded warehouses, border gate transferred goods to ensure the agreement in performing, and to study the collection of fees for domestically transported goods as per the proposal of National Assembly delegate Le Thanh Van.

Regarding the proposal on the Agreement between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Cambodia on waterway transport, the Ministry of Finance proposed that the People's Committee of HCM City coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to review Resolution 10/2020/NQ-HDND and implement the direction of competent authorities.

The Ministry proposes the People's Committee to collaborate with the Ministry of Transport to specify the scope of the seaport border gate area and list the scope of seaport border gate area and report to the National Assembly deputies.

The People's Committee appreciates the comments and suggestions of ministries, agencies, associations, businesses and will direct the Department of Transport, Department of Finance, and other departments to review and evaluate the results of the implementation of Resolution 10/2020/NQ-HDND, and submit to the People's Council for consideration and adjustment of this Resolution to in line with the actual situation.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Director of the HCM City Inland Waterway Port Authority, units will hold a meeting to evaluate and propose adjustments to a number of contents on infrastructure fee collection.