VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment are planning to collect fees of up to VND7.5 million per hectare from sea-surface users.

The draft circular on collecting fees from sea-surface use stipulates five kinds of payers: 1) those who exploit wind, wave, tidal energy and ocean currents to build underground pipeline systems, or install telecommunication cables 2) those who build floating and underground works, artificial islands and civil engineering works on the sea 3) those who build seaports and use territorial waters for the activities of fishing ports, shipbuilding and sea tourism 4) those who carry out activities of exploring and exploiting minerals and 5) those whose activities include exploiting water to cool factories.

The five groups will have to pay five different fee levels of between VND3 million and VND7.5 million per hectare per annum.

The ministries’ attempt to collect fees has been facing strong opposition from users.

A representative of the Bien Dong Tourism Site in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province said he didn’t agree with the fee collection plan because tourism firms have to pay the land rental annually, which is three to 10 times higher than previously. 

“The beaches in Vung Tau City are near residential quarters and those who sea bathe include tourists, hotel guests and locals as well. The beaches there belong to the public, not to businesses,” he said.

The Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacoal) proposed not to collect fee from sea-surface use for import and export of coal, because it is a matter of national energy security. It said the fees of different kinds of coal were very high.

Meanwhile, mechanical engineering enterprises said that charging for the use of wind, wave and tidal energy would be contrary to the government’s policy on encouraging the development of renewable energy.

Enterprises in other production fields have also kicked up a racket to show their disapproval of the ministries’ decision to charge for seawater use.

Mineral explorers oppose the fee, saying that exploration activities are always carried out on a large area with long distances between drills. 

Therefore, if the draft circular is applied, they will have to pay a very high fee, though the real areas they use during exploration are inconsiderable. 

Meanwhile, other enterprises said the exploitation of seawater to cool factories used sea water water as a natural resource, not as a surface. They only pay tax for using a natural resource, not a fee for use of sea surface.

Thien Nhien