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namib times
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6671 TUESDAY 25 JULY 2017 Tel: +264 64 - 205854 / +264 64 - 461866 /Fax: +264 64 - 204813 / 064 - 461824 / Website: www.namibtimes.net
Skraal kans dat N$1500 hengelpermit vir eers op die ys geplaas word
Pension increase as from August
Floris Steenkamp
Teen druktyd gistermiddag was daar 'n skraal kans dat die Minister van Seevisserye en Mariene Hulpbronne die tarief van N$1500 per hengelpermit per maand vir eers op die ys gaan plaas. Die tarief van N$14 per permit per maand en N$168 vir 'n jaarpermit sal dan vir 'n onbepaalde tydperk geld. Vir eers, todat die Minister van hom laat hoor sal die N$1500 tarief geld. Daar het nie 'n enkele N$1500 hengelpermit die naweek aan die kus verkoop nie. “Ons het nie 'n enkele permit sedert Vrydag verkoop nie. Mense het eenvoudig omgedraai en geloop”, het 'n amptenaar gister bevestig. Onder normale omstandighede word daar tussen 100 en
300 permitte oor 'n naweek verkoop. Vakansietye beloop dit duisende permitte. Die amptenaar het verduidelik dat selfs hulle deur die 10 000 % verhoging onkant betrap is. “Ons is nie in die saak geken nie. Dit sou tog beter wees as alle belanghebbendes in die saak geken was. Ons as beamptes is
ongelukkig daaroor, want selfs ons dink die N$1500 is malligheid”. Ten spyte daarvan dat die N$1500 permit haas onbekostigbaar is, sal dit ook lei tot die vernietiging van sakebedrywighede wat op hengelaktiwiteite aangedrewe is, het die amptenaar gesê. Vervolg op bladsy 2
The industry is gravely concerned that these levies would lead to financial ruin, particularly for newcomer operators in the horse mackerel sector. The regulation introducing these increa-
sed levies was signed into law on 26 June this year. "We learnt of these exorbitant increases in levies two weeks ago at our midwater trawl association's annual general meeting. We had no idea
that this was coming", a senior manager in the industry explained yesterday. He declined to be mentioned by name, but referred to an industry document as well as the Government Gazette in which the Minister
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Piquet Jacobs
The Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare announced the social grants paid to registered pensioners and persons living with disabilities will be increased from N$1 100 to N$1 200 monthly.
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The increase takes effect as from August. The increase is backdated to April meaning pensioners will receive an extra N$400 on the N$1200 pension in August. The Ministry urges all beneficiaries to ensure these grants are used responsibly and to the benefit of the elderly and the disabled.
Mid-water trawl fishery hit by massive increase in levies Namibia's midwater trawl fishing sector has been dealt a potentially disastrous blow with increases on average of 391 % and 692 % on levies per ton of fish landed and levies on quotas.
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of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernhardt Esau published the revised levies. "Fishing companies in the midwater trawl sector are already operating at a loss. You would recall that fees for fisheries observers increased some time ago from N$800 000 per vessel per annum to N$3 million per vessel per
annum. A tax on foreign crew was also instituted which can be as much as N$10 million per year. At the time, we already expressed concerns that our industry is increasingly coming under financial burden. We cannot understand that our own Government is doing this”, it was explained.
At the recent annual general meeting, the bombshell was dropped of the drastically increased quota fees. A document supplied to namib times explains the impact: A Namibian flagged vessel landing fish in port's levy per ton increased from N$60 to N$294,50. Continues on Page 2
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