Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – The Government recently issued Decree 27/2023/ND-CP regulating environmental protection fees for mineral exploitation.

The document, issued on May 31, regulates those subject to the fees, fee payers, fee collectors, the cases entitled to exemption, and fee levels, among others.

Accordingly, environmental protection fees are imposed on the exploitation of crude oil, natural gas, and coal gas; and metallic and non-metallic minerals stipulated in the fee table accompanying the decree.

The fee collector is tax agencies.

Environmental protection fees are set at 100,000 VND (4.25 USD) per tonne for crude oil, 50 VND per cubic metre for natural gas and coal gas, and 35 VND per cubic metre for the natural gas collected during the crude oil exploitation process (associated gas).

The fees on the exploitation of metallic and non-metallic minerals, including production and business activities that are not aimed at exploiting minerals but still collect minerals, are shown in the accompanying table.

The decree also said that basing on the principles for specifying fee levels as regulated in the Law on Fees and Charges, the fee table, and the levels applied in other localities, the People’s Councils of provincial-level localities decide on the fee levels appropriate to their local situation in each period.

Decree 27/2023/ND-CP, replacing Decree 164/2016/ND-CP, will take effect on July 15.