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The Icelandic Ministry of Finance has condemned Fishery Minister Jón Bjarnason’s new bill on changes to the fishing quota system because it could be 'incongruous' with the Icelandic Constitution.
Bjarnason’s bill involves changes to the fishery control system and increasing the fishing permit fees from almost ISK 3 billion (EUR 25.7 million) to ISK 5 billion (EUR 42.9 million).
Divided into two parts, the latter also addresses how the fishing permit fees should be allocated through a new system called “a settlement pool.” One fifth, or about ISK 1 billion (EUR 6.1 million), would be distributed among regions based on the experience of fishing vessels in each settlement.
Iceland’s capital region could only receive ISK 60 million (EUR 514,889), and the West Fjords would get 50 times more per resident than the capital region. Non-seaside towns, such as Hveragerdi, Mosfellsbaer and Egilsstadir, would not receive any money, according to reports.
The Finance Ministry’s budget office noted that fish stocks are Iceland’s joint possession and that the law says the state’s income of this resource has gone straight to the treasury.
Letting people benefit from a joint resource differently depending on where they live could violate the constitution’s principle of equality.
The budget office asks in its evaluation whether it is logical that revenue from energy resources only go to municipalities hosting power plants, whether taxes from retail should mostly be destined for the capital region and taxes from fuel mostly to the southwestern region because it experiences the most traffic.
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