Port infrastructure fees for international goods transported by inland waterways in and out of HCM City will be cut by half from August 1.

A meeting of the city's People's Council on July 7 passed a resolution on amendments and supplements to the collection rate of fees for using infrastructure and public services at ports, including a fee reduction.

Accordingly, a 50 per cent cut in fees will be applied to goods for temporary import and re-export or deposited in bonded warehouses and for transit and transshipment of goods.

It will collect the same rates for imported and exported goods declared outside the city and those declared in the city.

Besides these measures, imported and exported goods for national defense and security, responding to and overcoming consequences of natural disasters and epidemics, and some other purposes will be exempt from fees.

Earlier, business associations had proposed that the Prime Minister ask the city to stop collecting infrastructure fees at seaports.

They said that the proposed fees were very high and it was not the right time to implement a collection plan, adding that it would have negative impacts on business operations and the Government’s economic recovery and development programme.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has asked the city to adjust infrastructure fees at seaports by July.

Therefore, the city’s Department of Transport has recently submitted a document to the municipal People's Committee asking for the fee adjustment after beginning the automatic fee collection from April 1.

The move aims to help businesses dealing with stiff challenges, such as rising fuel prices, and promote the city’s economic recovery programme after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reduction in fees also seeks to encourage businesses to increase use of waterways and reduce pressure on road transport.

The current fee for goods for temporary import and re-export or deposited in bonded warehouses and for transit and transshipment goods is VND50,000 (US$2.2) per tonne for liquid and bulk cargo, VND2.2 million ($94.5) for a 20-foot container and VND4.4 million ($189) for a 40ft container.

For imported and exported goods declared outside the city, the corresponding rates are VND30,000 ($1.3), VND500,000 ($21.5) and VND1 million ($43); and for those declared in the city, VND15,000 ($0.6), around VND250,000 ($10.7) and VND500,000.

More than VND500 billion ($21.5 million) has been collected via the automatic collection system so far.

The city expects to fetch revenues of about VND3 trillion ($129 million) a year.

It plans to invest the amount in port connectivity projects, including new roads and upgrades to existing ones near ports, as well as improving waterways and inland ports. — VNS