Press
Release
Environmental fees and charges to be revised
The Environmental Protection Department proposes to revise the existing fees and charges under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance, Noise Control Ordinance, Water Pollution Control Ordinance and Dumping at Sea Ordinance.
An EPD spokesman said today (October 28) that the fee revision was to meet the objective of achieving the full-cost recovery for providing the services.
After gazettal today, the Amendment Regulations will be tabled in the Legislative Council next Wednesday (November 2). The new rates are scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2006. Of the 24 fee items covered, 60% will be reduced.
"Most of the fees and charges were last revised in 2000. A costing review at 2004-2005 prices shows that as a result of efficiency gains made over the last few years, over half of the existing fee items are actually in excess of full cost recovery and hence the fees would be reduced, while the rest fall short," he said.
"For the fee items that need to be increased, the adjustment will be phased in over the next few years in order to avoid a sudden large one-off increase," he added.
For the fees under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the proposal is to increase the specific processes licence fees by 10 per cent. EPD is also proposing to reduce the fees for a certified copy of an entry in the register of specific process licences by eight per cent and for open burning permit by 40 per cent.
For those under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, it is proposed to reduce the fees of the Water Pollution Control (General) Regulations by eight per cent to 24 per cent and to increase the licence fees for discharge from industrial, institutional or commercial premises of domestic sewage only and the fees for new licence or variation or renewal of licence for discharge from domestic premises by 14 per cent.
The fees under the Noise Control Ordinance are to be increased in the range of 10 per cent to 20 per cent.while those under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance and Dumping at Sea Ordinance are proposed to be reduced respectively in the range of nine per cent to 13 per cent, and eight per cent, thanks to the success of efficiency improvements.
"EPD will continue to undertake necessary measures to contain costs by continuing to implement productivity improvement measures," the spokesman said.
End
October 28, 2005 (Friday)
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