Containers loaded at Tan Vu Port, Hai Phong city (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime MinisterVuong Dinh Hue has asked Hai Phong to revise fees for usinginfrastructure, service facilities and public utilities at ports in the city.
Adjustments in fees are needed to ensure theyare reasonable and comply with the law and create favourable conditions forimport and export firms, as per Government resolutions on improving thebusiness climate.
In December, the municipal People’s Committeeissued a resolution which took effect from the beginning of this yearregulating fees for construction, infrastructure, service buildings and publicutilities at ports.
Under the resolution, individualsand organisations that have shipments stored at bonded warehouses must pay from 2.2millionVND (97 USD) to 4.8million VND (220 USD) per container, an increase of nearly70 per cent from the previous fee.
While municipal authorities said that thefees were applied as per regulations, firms said that they were unreasonablyhigh and undermined their competitiveness.
Hue said that the Hai Phong People’sCommittee must listen to firms and revise its fees at its next meeting.
The Deputy PM also asked the finance ministryto inspect the issuance of fees by local authorities to ensure compliance withlaws and regulations.
Hai Phong Port is the second largest port inVietnam with one third of total cargo running through it.
In 2017, Hai Phong planned to collect 1.5trillion VND from seaport fees but it was estimated that the northern city hascollected at least 2.3 trillion VND already from the beginning of this year.-VNA
