The government raised its wharfage charges in the Inner Harbour in January, which increased it more than 30 times, and Lawmaker Ron Lam U Tou expressed concern in a written interpellation released on Sunday that the sudden and drastic increase had caused a significant increase in the operating costs for the shipping and logistics sector there and might affect the prices of goods in the city.
In January, the government promulgated a regulation in the Official Gazette (BO) stipulating an annual wharfage charge of 980 patacas per square metre for new pier sites, including sites for fishery activities, general cargo handling, berthing of yachts, temporary loading and unloading of cargo, and other similar facilities.
Lam said that holders of temporary wharfage permits in the harbour used to pay rent to the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), but the management of the Inner Harbour was shifted from DSAMA to the Lands and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) in 2018, and the latter increased its charges “too suddenly in January” without informing the sector.
Lam pointed out that the local economy is still recovering after the three-year COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that the government should suspend the increase in wharfage charges to avoid increases in Macau’s prices of goods, as the importers of foodstuffs such as fresh vegetables and fruit and fresh seafood rely on the unloading of cargo in the Inner Harbour before they can be transported and sold in the retail market within a short period of time.
Lam also suggested that the government should specify the objectives for the development of the Inner Harbour, so as to give the shipping and logistics sector confidence to invest in and upgrade facilities in line with future economic development and urban planning.
Directly-elected lawmaker Ron Lam U Tou - File photo provided by the Legislative Assembly
