Smoothing the way for better roading

>> Fee opposition hits top gear

Basic road-use collection level for automobiles was proposed at VND180,000 ($8.5) per month, according to Ministry of Transport’s (MoT) Financial Department.

This benchmark is applied to under 10-seat cars, ambulances, vans, hearses, trailers less than two tonnes in carrying capacity and equivalents. The MoT will develop a fee ladder for cars with more seats or bigger carrying capacity based on that basic price.

As planned, the MoT will forward two draft decrees on collection and expenditure of the road maintenance fund to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) early next week.

Vietnam Auto Transport Association chairman Nguyen Manh Hung said the fee proposal tolerable for businesses.

Under the proposal, vehicle owners can make fee contributions monthly, every six months, yearly, 18 months, 24 months or 30 months.

For cars, collection bodies will be motorised vehicles registration and quality inspection organisations on the principle that only vehicle owners will get certificates after paying off the fee.

For motorbikes, there would be four fee levels, instead of three as previously proposed.

Particularly, the fee is set at VND80,000-120,000 ($3.8-$5.7) per month for under 70 cubic centimeters motorbikes, from VND100,000-150,000 ($4.7-$7.1) for 70cc to 100cc motorbikes, from VND120,000-180,000 ($5.7-$8.5) for 100cc to 175cc motorbikes and from VND150,000-225,000 ($7.1-$10.7) to over 175cc motorbikes. Concrete fee levels will be regulated by provincial people’s committees suitable to socio-economic conditions in each locality, said a representative from the circular’s Compiling Board.

Also under the draft circular, the road maintenance funding will go towards maintaining and managing road system, as well as feeding relevant human resources.

As proposed, the fund’s Management Council will be chaired by MoT Minister and three deputy chairmen being the leadership from MoT, MoF and Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRRVN). The council members will include representatives from Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Vietnam Auto Transport Association.

The DRVN is reportedly busy with devising a plan on innovating road maintenance work throughout the country under which the activities will be put on auctions slated to be open to businesses from assorted economic sectors.

“We seek to apply a market mechanism in managing and maintaining road network with people acting as supervisors conforming to international practices,” said DRVN’s deputy chief Nguyen Van Quyen.