Loosen management of parking ticket prices?

(Baonghean) - After Tet, temples, pagodas, and entertainment areas attract a large number of people and vehicles. Therefore, parking lots at these locations seem to be full. However, parking fees are pushed up, each place has its own way, and no one manages it.

Each for himself

After Tet, parking fees at amusement parks and temples increase. Cars cost from 20,000 to 30,000 VND depending on the location. Motorbikes cost 10,000 VND. At Con Temple (Quynh Phuong Ward, Hoang Mai Town) on the 7th day of Tet, the number of people and vehicles is not too crowded, but the parking fees here are quite high and there is a significant difference. The parking fee in the parking lot of Con Temple Management Board is 20,000 VND/time, while the price at the private parking spot right at the foot of the bridge is 30,000 VND/time.

Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong Temple, in Dien An Commune (Dien Chau), located right next to National Highway 1A, is also bustling with visitors in the early days of Spring. Ms. Van, the parking attendant here, said she could not count how many cars came after Tet. Because of the Tet holiday, ticket prices have doubled compared to normal days.

A parking lot at Con Temple. Photo: Thu Huyen

At entertainment venues such as Vinh City Central Park, Muong Thanh VRC amusement park, Big C Vinh Supermarket... after Tet, there were a lot of visitors, so the number of vehicles also increased a lot. Although these venues have mobilized more relatives to look after the vehicles, it is still not enough to serve. At Big C Vinh Supermarket, the parking fee is still stable as usual, 15,000 VND/time for cars and when customers shop at the supermarket, the parking fee is deducted when paying. However, in some markets, there has been a phenomenon of "ripping off". On the first day of the year, having to go to Vinh market, Mr. Thang expressed his anger when he parked his motorbike at a private parking spot and was "ripped off" by 20,000 VND. "There is nothing special, right in the city center but they charge too high a fee" - Mr. Thang said.

Although the fees are high, due to the large number of people coming here, some places are still overloaded. Many people do not hesitate to pay expensive parking fees to get things done at the beginning of the year, especially to go to the temple. However, many people are also upset with the unprofessional service attitude at parking lots, especially spontaneous parking lots that often raise prices, are irritable and sometimes move the vehicles carelessly, causing damage to customers' vehicles.

Loose management?

Recently, at the meeting of the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial People's Committee approved the Draft Decision on promulgating vehicle parking service prices in the province. Accordingly, the vehicle parking service price, vehicle parking service price at parking lots, public vehicle parking lots invested by the State (except for vehicles parked at hospitals and schools), the lowest price is for bicycles and rudimentary vehicles in the city and plains: 2,000 VND/trip; mountainous areas 1,000 VND/trip. The highest is for trucks over 10 tons, semi-trailers in the city at 15,000 VND/trip, low mountainous areas 14,000 VND/trip, high mountainous areas 12,000 VND/trip. For cars under 7 seats, in Vinh city and town areas 10,000 VND/trip; plains 9,000 VND/trip; mountainous areas 8,000 VND/trip. For hospitals and schools, the fee is 50% of the prescribed fee. However, during and after Tet, most parking lots have collected more than the prescribed fee.

High-priced car parking services at festivals and temples make many people unhappy. Photo courtesy

Mr. Hoang Minh Quan - Head of the Department of Public Asset Price Management, Department of Finance said: For parking lots and points with conditions for keeping high-quality cars, the service requirements are higher than normal parking conditions (with solid houses, surveillance cameras) and parking lots and points at scenic spots, historical sites, cultural works where visitors often need to park their cars for many hours: The maximum collection is not more than 2 times for each type of vehicle in the same period. For parking lots and points not invested by the State but whose investment projects are approved by competent State agencies: The maximum collection is not more than 1.5 times the prescribed collection level.

However, the chaotic situation of parking fees has been happening for a long time and in many localities, partly due to the too light sanctions, local authorities are still negligent and lax in management. Mr. Hoang Minh Quan added: The price of parking services collected from services invested by the State with state budget capital: Organizations and units assigned by the State to manage parking services must collect correctly and fully according to the prescribed price and pay taxes according to current regulations of the State. The price of parking services collected from services invested by capital sources outside the state budget is a revenue of organizations and individuals. Organizations and individuals must collect correctly according to the above prescribed price and pay taxes according to current regulations of the State.

Although the Provincial People's Committee has clearly regulated the fees for parking bicycles, motorbikes, and cars in the area, many organizations and individuals still collect parking fees exceeding the regulations. Not only historical sites, fair venues, music programs, and celebrations in the Truong Thi area (Vinh City) also often experience the phenomenon of raising parking fees, each person collecting on their own... Violations in this field have become common, but there have been no reports from relevant agencies and forces about handling them. If parking spots collect more than the prescribed amount without reporting the revenue, it will not only cause damage to the people but also cause tax losses to the budget.

Thu Huyen