Stuck in regulations, Ho Chi Minh City cannot collect sidewalk fees

The city has been collecting sidewalk and road fees since January, but due to some regulations on exploitation methods and licensing procedures, it has not been able to implement them.

The information was stated by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in a recent dispatch sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport regarding the implementation of collecting fees for temporary use of roads and sidewalks in the area. Currently, some central districts have made a list of roads with wide sidewalks, renovated and painted lines to prepare for fee collection.

According to the city government, roads and sidewalks are transport infrastructure assets, but the method of exploitation and temporary use has not been regulated in the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets and Decree 33/2019 of the Government. In this case, the two Ministries of Transport and Finance need to coordinate with relevant parties to develop an exploitation project and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration.

The sidewalk of Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, is marked and arranged for self-managed parking, December 2023. Photo: Gia Minh — The sidewalk of Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, is marked and arranged for self-managed parking, December 2023. Photo: *Gia Minh*

In addition, according to the HCM City People's Committee, the demand for temporary exploitation and use permits for roadways and sidewalks in the area is mainly from individuals and households. Therefore, the city would like to be guided on whether the assigned management unit must prepare an exploitation plan and submit it to the competent authority for approval before granting a permit.

Previously, the City People's Council issued fees for each case of using sidewalks and roads in the area, effective from the beginning of 2024. Cases that are allowed to use part of the road and sidewalk and pay fees include: organizing cultural activities (sports, parades, festivals) and car parking spots serving cultural activities; service business locations, buying and selling goods; parking with service fees; domestic waste transfer places of urban environmental sanitation enterprises...

The fee applied by the city is based on the average land price in 5 areas, in the inner city will be higher than the suburbs. In particular, the lowest level for parking activities is 50,000 VND, the highest is 350,000 VND/m2 per month. Other activities will apply 20,000-100,000 VND/m2.

According to the Department of Transport's guidelines, sidewalks that are partially used must be at least 3 meters wide, of which 1.5 meters are reserved for pedestrians. As for the roadway, after leaving at least two lanes for cars in one direction, the remaining part, if qualified, can be used for activities other than traffic purposes.

Gia Minh

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