1. New method for determination of environmental protection fee charged on mining of minerals
As of June 13, 2016, the Circular No. 66/2016/TT-BTC shall govern the collection, payment and use of the environmental protection fee charged on mining of minerals, starting from the period of fee declaration and payment in May 2016.
The new method for determination of environmental protection fee not only considers the output and type of minerals extracted in a period but also:
The amount of soil and stone excavated and discharged during mining activities in the period and a coefficient based on the mining method (e.g. open-cast mining, underground mining or other methods).
- By March 31, the agency collecting the environmental protection fee shall be responsible for disclosing the total environmental protection on mineral mining, which enterprises paid in the previous year, on mass media on annual basis.
Circular No. 66/2016/TT-BTC also regulates the echelons for managing and using the environmental protection fee, as well as local authorities’ responsibilities.
2. Issuance of the National technical regulation on the effluent of livestock
As of June 15, 2016, every entity engaged in discharging the effluent of livestock to the receiving waters shall adhere to QCVN 62-MT:2016/BTNMT enclosed to the Circular No. 04/2016/TT-BTNMT .
This technical regulation defines the maximum permissible limits of pollution parameters of livestock effluent discharged to receiving waters. As follows:
- Livestock facilities discharging less than 2 m3 of effluent per day must have sanitary systems for collecting, depositing and composting the effluent.
- Livestock facilities discharging totally 2 to below 5 m3 of effluent on daily basis must have systems capable for collecting and treating waste, e.g. biogas composition or biological padding, in conformity to national standards.
3. Use of profits from insurance funds’ investments
Decree No, 30/2016/ND-CP regulates investments originating from funds of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance.
Annual profits from such investments, as per the Decree, shall be used in the following manners:
- Establish a loss provision fund:
+ At most 2% of the profits shall be put in the loss provision fund on annual basis until the size of the fund can cover 5% of the outstanding balance of investments poured into regulated areas.
+ The fund shall compensate investments lost.
+ The fund, when unused, can provide finances to regulated investments.
- The remaining amount of profits shall be allotted into insurance funds (social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance) according to each fund’s average balance ratio to their total annual balance.
4. Changes in requirements for medical X-ray equipment inspection services
Such changes are defined in the Circular 06/2016/TT-BKHCN , which takes effect as of June 20, 2016.
Radiation safety service licensing, as defined in the Decision No. 32/2007/QD-BKHCN dated December 31, 2007, shall be abrogated.
Therefore, providers of medical X-ray equipment inspection services shall not be bound to apply for a radiation safety service license.
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