Amended Fishery Tariff Legislation Tabled in Parliamentary Sessions
Fishing Fee Overhaul in Iceland: Will Small-Scale Operators Get a Break While Large Firms Bear the Brunt?
The Minister of Industry and Trade, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, has presented a revised bill to the Althingi, proposing an increase in fishing fees. The bill underwent changes after a public consultation period, addressing concerns from municipalities and small-scale fishing operators about the financial burden.
Let's delve a bit deeper into these changes.
Softening the Blow for Small Operations
The bill's revision includes increased exemption thresholds to reduce the impact on small fishing businesses. For most categories, 40% of the first ISK 9 million in annual assessment is now exempt. For cod and haddock - crucial species in Icelandic fisheries - the exemption has been increased to 40% of the first ISK 50 million.
Large Firmsset to Shoulder Most of the Costs
The revised bill provides a comprehensive impact analysis, focusing on evaluating the proposed changes' effects on the 100 largest companies in the sector, providing data on total taxation in the fishing industry, and comparing fish pricing systems in Norway. The updated proposal shows that the 30 largest fishing companies will bear around 90% of the total fees under the new structure.
Industry Voices and Transparency Concerns
Despite these changes, smaller operators and industry groups claim that regional variations and seasonal volatility have not been considered effectively, raising the risk of harming smaller enterprises, even with exemptions. The Icelandic Fisheries Association has demanded transparency about how vessel size, quota holdings, and geographic factors influence fee calculations. Critics also argue that key stakeholders were excluded from the process.
In the broad scheme, the revised bill aims to protect smaller operators through exemptions. However, concerns about implementation fairness and data transparency persist. Large firms will face significant costs but have greater financial capacity to absorb them compared to smaller enterprises.
- The Minister of Industry and Trade, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, has proposed an increase in fishing fees with the revised bill, aiming to lessen the impact on small fishing businesses by increasing exemption thresholds for most categories and cod and haddock specifically.
- The revised bill shows that the 30 largest fishing companies in the sector will bear around 90% of the total fees under the new structure, according to the comprehensive impact analysis included in the proposal.
- Smaller operators and industry groups have expressed concerns that regional variations and seasonal volatility have not been considered effectively, potentially harming smaller enterprises despite the exemptions provided.
- The Icelandic Fisheries Association has demanded transparency regarding how vessel size, quota holdings, and geographic factors influence fee calculations, as critics argue that key stakeholders were excluded from the process.
