Service price mechanism introduced for 17 goods, services in Vietnam 

During a meeting organised on Tuesday by the Ministry of Finance, director of the ministry’s Price Management Department Nguyen Anh Tuan explained the new price mechanism, saying the state will no longer collect the fees of some 17 goods and services but just be responsible for determining their specific prices.
The 17 types of goods and services which will apply the service price mechanism include water-related public services; veterinary drug testing services; and cadastral measurements and cadastral mapping services in cases when the state assigns land, leases land or changes the purpose of land use in areas where there is no cadastral map and fees for the use of surface areas at marketplaces.
It will also apply to ferry tolls and build-operate-transfer road tolls, port and terminals services fees, and parking charge and sanitation charge.
Tuan added that the government’s intention to switch to a service price mechanism aims to encourage private-public partnership projects and attract investment to improve the quality of public services, which essentially causes no change in the state’s revenue.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the state’s revenue earned from fees and charges previously accounted for less than 5 per cent of the total State budget’s revenue.
Tuan said the adjustment and determination of prices of the 17 types of goods and services has been assigned to the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Development; the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; and the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Health. People’s committees in cities and provinces will also be involved.
He added that the appointed bodies will be in charge of determining maximum prices, minimum prices and the price ranges for the goods and services. He also noted that the fees will then be collected by non-state sectors.