Every family is about to have to pay for domestic wastewater.

The Government has just issued Decree No. 154/2016 regulating the subjects of fees, cases of exemption, fee payers, collection rates, declaration, payment, management and use of environmental protection fees for wastewater, effective from January 1, 2017.

Domestic wastewater from each household will have to pay an environmental protection fee based on the amount of water used. Photo: Document

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Accordingly, the decree clearly states that industrial wastewater is wastewater from: production facilities, processing facilities of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products; production facilities, processing facilities of food, alcohol, beer, soft drinks and cigarettes; concentrated livestock and poultry breeding and slaughtering facilities; aquaculture facilities; handicraft production facilities in craft villages; tanning and leather recycling facilities; mineral exploitation and processing facilities; textile, dyeing and garment facilities; paper, pulp, plastic and rubber production facilities; fertilizer, chemical, pharmaceutical, pesticide, construction material, stationery and household appliance production facilities; mechanical, metallurgical, metal processing, machine and spare parts manufacturing facilities; electrical and electronic equipment and components manufacturing facilities; facilities for preliminary processing of scrap, dismantling of old ships, cleaning and rinsing of ships; clean water supply plants; centralized wastewater treatment systems in industrial parks; other production facilities.

Domestic wastewater is wastewater from: households; state agencies, public service units, people's armed forces units (except production facilities, processing facilities of people's armed forces units); executive headquarters, branches, offices of organizations and individuals not associated with production and processing locations; car washes, motorbike washes, car and motorbike repair facilities; hospitals; clinics; restaurants, hotels; training and research facilities; other business and service establishments; organizations, individuals and other entities with wastewater not specified as industrial wastewater.

The Decree clearly stipulates that the environmental protection fee for domestic wastewater is 10% of the selling price of 1 m3 of clean water excluding value added tax. In case it is necessary to apply a higher fee, the People's Council of the province or centrally-run city shall decide on a specific fee suitable to the actual situation in the locality.

For domestic wastewater discharged from organizations and households that exploit water for their own use (except for households that are exempt from fees), the fee is determined for each water user based on the average amount of water used by a person in the commune, ward or town where the water is exploited and the average selling price of 1 m3 of clean water in the commune, ward or town.

Illustration.

The environmental protection fee for industrial wastewater is calculated by a fixed fee of VND 1,500,000/year plus a variable fee for the total amount of wastewater discharged, depending on the content of pollution parameters and the collection rate for each substance depending on the air pollution parameters, ranging from VND 2,000 to VND 20,000,000/kg.

Production and processing facilities with total wastewater volume of less than 20 m3/day and night are not subject to variable fees.

The Decree stipulates that the amount of environmental protection fee payable for domestic wastewater is determined by the amount of clean water used x clean water price x fee rate. The fixed fee payable is VND 1,500,000/year.

In case the average wastewater volume in the year is less than 20 m3/day and night, the fixed fee to be paid is: 1,500,000 VND/year.

The Decree also stipulates many cases of exemption from environmental protection fees for wastewater such as water discharged from hydroelectric plants, seawater used for salt production discharged...

Clean water suppliers collect environmental protection fees for domestic wastewater from organizations and individuals using clean water.

The People's Committees of communes, wards and towns collect environmental protection fees for domestic wastewater from organizations, individuals and households that exploit water for their own use.

According to Bao Quyen/vneconomy