How to choose the most beneficial form of road maintenance fee payment?

Mr. Ngo Hong He - Head of the Department of Motor Vehicle Inspection of the Vietnam Register said that inspection centers nationwide are responsible for collecting road maintenance fees for cars when they come in for inspection. The fees, collection, payment and management regimes are stipulated in Circular No. 239/2016 of the Ministry of Finance. The Circular also stipulates the time period for paying the fees for some cases for vehicle owners to choose.

Accordingly, the fees are divided into 8 groups, with the level of 130,000 - 1,430,000 VND/month, depending on the type of vehicle (organization, individual, business transport vehicle or not). Vehicle owners can also choose to pay monthly (for businesses with fees from 30 million/month or more), 12 even months, according to the time of the calendar year or according to the vehicle's inspection cycle.

Vehicles registered for the first time must pay road maintenance fees according to the inspection cycle or every 12 months.

Representatives of some inspection centers said: “The inspection cycle is divided into groups of vehicles. People who buy, sell, or want to change vehicles often choose to pay the fee in the shortest time to get the most benefit.”

For example, a group of cars with less than 9 seats (manufactured for up to 7 years) not used for transportation, after the first inspection for rolling, the next inspection cycle is 30 months, the next inspection is 18 months. When registering for the first or second inspection, the car owner can pay the road fee every 12 months. In case the fee has expired but has not been paid, the overdue fee will have to be paid until the next inspection before being accepted for inspection. This means that the next car owner will be "charged" the overdue fee, if there is no agreement between the buyer and seller on this matter.

Similarly, for trucks of all types, after being inspected for rolling, the second inspection period will not come until 24 months later, while the vehicle owner can choose to pay the fee equal to the inspection cycle or every 12 months.

The collection and payment of road maintenance fees are carried out at inspection centers.

"In reality, there are cases where buyers of used cars only find out when the vehicle's periodic inspection is due that the maintenance fee is overdue and have to pay the previous owner's unpaid fee," said Mr. Duong Trung Lam, Director of Inspection Center 99-02D Bac Giang.

Mr. Ngo Hong He, Head of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Department of the Vietnam Register, also recommends that people should consult with the registration centers about regulations on paying vehicle maintenance fees to avoid disputes and losses.

It is known that according to Circular 70/2015 of the Ministry of Transport, the second inspection cycle for passenger vehicles with less than 9 seats is 30 months; for commercial transport vehicles (not modified) is 18 months; for trucks, specialized vehicles, and tractors is 24 months.