KUWAIT CITY, Aug 10: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has proposed fees for 67 services, which it currently provides free of charge.

The proposal includes re-pricing of all services with varying increase rates, some of which could rise 17-fold. This move is in response to the Council of Ministers' mandate for government agencies to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to review their service fees.

According to the proposal, services provided by the ministry free of charge, such as company establishment applications, will be charged. The fee for any company establishment application, regardless of type, will be KD20, even if the company is non-profit. The list of services to be converted from free to fee-based includes requests to amend the fiscal year of partnerships, write off mortgages and commercial agencies, and brokerage services for fish, fodder, livestock, vegetables, fruits, and poultry. Among the major increases is the issuance of a temporary commercial license, proposed to increase from KD30 to KD500 for a real estate or temporary jewelry showroom, a 17 times increase.

The proposal includes a 25 percent increase in the fee for approval of capital increase, decrease, share modifications, entry or exit of a partner, and dissolution and liquidation of a company; as well as amendment of the trade name and management clauses of a commercial entity.  The fee for issuing a license to practice the accounting profession will be raised from KD150 to KD200.

This is in addition to 25 percent increase in the fee for renewing a company license and granting a certificate to members of a company's board of directors. The fee for a representative of the Ministry of Commerce to attend general assemblies will increase from KD100 to KD125, while the fee for issuing and renewing ration cards will be doubled from KD5 to KD10.

Ministry officials, who prepared the proposal, disclosed that the reconsideration of the fees stems from the disproportionate nature of the costs incurred by the ministry, results of a comparative study in the Gulf, and the fact that the fees have not been amended for many years, with some remaining unchanged for nearly 53 years.