VietNamNet Bridge – Transport companies expressed concern that a planned road-use fee will place an undue burden on car owners, who already have to pay about ten different taxes and fees.

According to the Finance Ministry's draft circular, as of January 1, motorbikes, cars, trucks and other vehicles with engines will pay a road-use fee to provide funds for road maintenance. The fee's implementation was deferred from last June due to the country's economic troubles.

The monthly fee for private cars with less than 10 seats will be VND130,000 (US$6.2), according to the circular.

The fee for other automobiles will range from VND180,000 ($8.6) to VND1.04 million ($50) per month.

The vehicle owners will pay the fee in two instalments each year at regular vehicle registry offices.

"Although the fee is paid in two instalments each year, it will still be a burden for transport companies," said Viet Nam Automobile Transport Association chairman Nguyen Manh Hung. "They will be forced to take out loans to pay it."

Moreover, he wondered what would happen in cases where the fee was paid already, but companies could not use their automobiles because of required maintenance or idle time.

Paying a fee for over ten containers would also create more difficulty for co-operatives in this tough time, said Nguyen Viet Anh, head of Bac Nam Transport Co-operative.

Paying the fee twice a year was only convenient for collectors, he said, suggesting that the fee should instead be collected monthly or quarterly.

He also doubted that the funds obtained from the fee would truly improve roads.

Chairman of the Ha Noi Automobile Transport Association Bui Danh Lien shared Anh's opinion. Compared with road fees in other countries, he said, the proposed road-use fee in Viet Nam was lower, but roads in other countries were much better.

Moreover, he added, the across-the-board fee was unfair because automobile owners who don't drive frequently have to pay the same fee as those who use the roads every day.

Many also worry that the road-use fee will drive up transport costs, resulting in higher prices.

Motorbike owners must also pay the new fee, which ranges from VND50,000 to VND150,000 ($2.4-7.2) per month.

The People's Committees in the communes and wards where vehicle owners live will collect the fee, Lien said.

However, he noted that there had yet to be any regulations on punishment if the motorbike owners refused to pay the fee, which would make it difficult to collect.

The wards and communes also needed to allocate staff and funds to collect the fee, Lien said.

VietNamNet/VNS