Strengthening the collection, management, and expenditure of fees and charges.

(Baonghean.vn) - Implementing the plan to monitor the implementation of the Provincial People's Council's resolutions on the collection of fees and charges in Nghe An province, on the morning of April 13, the Economic and Budget Committee of the Provincial People's Council, led by Mr. Tran Quoc Chung - Deputy Head of the Economic and Budget Committee, held a working session with the Department of Finance.

Overview of the meeting

According to the report from the Department of Finance, the collection, management, and use of three types of fees in Nghe An province—road usage fees for motorcycles and scooters; environmental protection fees for domestic wastewater; and vehicle registration fees for passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats—are based on resolutions of the Provincial People's Council, decisions of the Provincial People's Committee, and within the framework of government regulations, in line with the local situation and the general standards nationwide. Specifically, the collection of road usage fees for motorcycles throughout the province in 2013 and 2014 reached over 36 billion VND. 15% of the collected road usage fees were allocated to the collecting unit, with 60% going to the provincial budget and 40% to the Road Maintenance Fund for the repair, upgrading, and maintenance of road infrastructure. Nearly 11 billion VND was collected for environmental protection fees for wastewater in the two years. Revenue from environmental protection fees for domestic wastewater is allocated at 10% annually to cover collection costs, with the remainder going to the provincial budget to balance expenditures as stipulated. Meanwhile, vehicle registration fees for passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats generated nearly 460 billion VND in 2013 and 2014. This annual revenue is allocated 40% to the provincial budget and 60% to the district budget to balance regular expenditures.

Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, Hoang Thi Le Dung, reported on the situation regarding the collection, management, and use of various fees and charges in the province.

During the meeting, the Department of Finance also clarified that its function is only to advise on the issuance of fee and charge rates, while the collection, management, and use of fees belong to other sectors. Currently, the most concerning issue is the collection of road usage fees for motorcycles and scooters, which is facing inadequacies and revenue losses. The main reasons are the lack of penalties and insufficient coordination between sectors to ensure accurate and complete collection according to annual budget estimates.

Deputy Head of the Economic and Budget Committee Tran Quoc Chung suggested that the Department of Finance strengthen the collection, management, and use of fees and charges.

Based on the shortcomings and problems identified through practical monitoring in several sectors and localities conducted by the Economic and Budget Committee in the past, the working group of the Provincial People's Council requested the Department of Finance to strengthen management and guidance on the expenditure of current fees and charges, including the expenditure of retained revenue for the collecting entities, ensuring consistency. At the same time, it should proactively advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue directives and urge the collection of fees and charges, especially road usage fees for motorcycles and scooters.

Minh Chi