Some Government Service Charges to be Lowered

The government has decided to skim off the bubbles from state-run tests and administration services such as the driving test and the issuance of the resident registration certificate.

The Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE) on Tuesday said that it made a public announcement on the list of services whose charges are subject to negotiation and ways to implement changes in accordance to the Price Stabilization Act.

Up until now, government bodies calculated and proposed their own service charges to the MOFE which granted the approval.

However, government institutions will be asked to submit the cost calculation report, which requires filling in 10 items such as the costs of labor and materials, expenditures and profits, along with related documents verifying the calculation to the MOFE.

In addition, the MOFE can also demand relevant institutes to submit supplementary reports to explain the grounds of their cost calculation, if it is necessary.

The MOFE said that some 1,500 government service charges are subject to change, including more than 60 state-run exams such as the driving test.

This is expected to lower the service charges of some state-run institutions which put a burden on the public by excessively charging their services regardless of the actual cost of them.

The ministry decided to draw up the measure because it concluded that service charges not only directly affect certain segments of the population but also the national economy, according to an official of the MOFE.

“Although we will try to respect the opinions of each ministry, we will review their service charges more thoroughly if these are closely related to the livelihood of the people,” said an official of the MOFE.

jarrett@donga.com