Fees and Charges by Government Agencies

Parliamentary Question by Mr Fadli Fawzi:

To ask the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance what steps will be taken by the Government to ensure that subsidiary legislation is updated in a timely manner when changes to fees and charges by Ministries and Statutory Boards are made.

Parliamentary Question by Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song:

To ask the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether a systemic review has been conducted across all Government agencies following consecutive Auditor-General's Office reports on fees collected without legal authorisation; and (b) what measures are being implemented to ensure all public fees are properly gazetted and authorised prior to collection.

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Parliamentary Reply by Senior Minister of State for Finance, Mr Jeffrey Siow:

I will take Parliamentary Question 2627 and Parliamentary Question 2680 together.

The Member refers to AGO reports of “fees collected without legal authorisation”. In fact, the Government has previously explained that public agencies have a legal basis to collect fees for services that are rendered to the public. Nonetheless, for avoidance of doubt, some agencies may prescribe fees in legislation to provide greater clarity and certainty.

To be precise, the AGO’s observation was that certain fees were not prescribed in legislation, and that some fees were under collected. Where AGO has identified such issues, the relevant agencies will review the findings carefully, and take the appropriate steps to rectify any gaps and strengthen their processes.

Beyond the agency-specific actions, the government is also taking the opportunity to review the broader framework for fees and charges. Given the wide range of public services provided, agencies collect many different fees and charges. It would not be practical for every fee, or every change to a fee to be prescribed in legislation. We are therefore considering how such fee information can be communicated clearly and transparently to the public, taking into account the nature of the services concerned.