Muscat: A study by the Ministry of Finance has led to the deduction, cancellation and merger of 288 government service fees. The process will begin to be implemented during the first quarter of 2023.

The Ministry of Finance unveiled the results of a study on government service fees in the second phase of application of the “Government Services Pricing Guide”.

The abatements covered the fees of the Supreme Judicial Council, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the Environment Authority, the municipal sector and the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority. During a media gathering about the Government Services Pricing Guide, the Finance Ministry explained that as many as 739 fees were studied during the second phase of the guide’s programme.

The Supreme Judicial Council said that a study on fees of the notary public led to the merging of 15 fees (14 fees were reduced and merged, and one fee was abolished), while the fees payable by inheritance agents were unified into a single fee valued at OMR1 to be charged against the client of each entitled heir.

At the Environment Authority, 30 fees were reviewed, with 19 fees reduced and 11 fees abolished. At the Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance, the review led to the reduction, cancellation and merging of 15 fees (14 fees cut down and merged and 1 fee abolished.

The review of the municipality sector led to the reduction, cancellation and merging of 104 fees (with 59 fees discounted and merged and 45 fees annulled altogether).

At the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, as many as 127 fees were reduced, cancelled and merged (with 107 reduced and 20 abolished). The Government Services Pricing Guide was implemented in the trial phase at four government departments, which were the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, the municipalities sector and the Ministry of Labour.

As many as 557 fees were cut down, cancelled or merged, through understanding between specialists at the Ministry of Finance and the departments concerned.

The Finance Ministry pointed out that a third phase of the Government Services Pricing Guide will be implemented, and it will cover the review of fees of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

Source: Times of Oman