He was speaking at a meeting with press agencies, organized by the standing board of the city Party Committee, on the resolution implementation.
Mr. Nhan said that the press had contributed much to the city in proposing the special mechanisms, acknowledging that these facilitate the city’s development and more contribute to the country.
Talking about specific characteristics of HCMC, Mr. Nhan said that HCMC is the country’s biggest city and economic hub. It is also the most crowded place in the country with population increasing an extra of one million people during eight years on average. Population density is 17 times the country’s average.
The city has one district with population topping 700,000 people, two districts with 500,000 residents and six with the population of from 400,000-500,000 people.
Quick population increase has created a heavy urban pressure because of increasing travel demand and worse traffic jam and high volume of government works.
Large economic scale has brought huge development investment demand.
In addition, the city has faced challenges in economic competition and climate change. Without specific mechanisms, the city’s growth and contribution to the country’s development will slow down. That shows the need of having the city's specific mechanisms.
NA Resolution 54 relates to five fields with 18 contents
At the meeting, representatives of press agencies offered suggestions to city leaders and agencies to efficiently implement Resolution 54.
They said that sensitive matters such as fee and tax increase might create different opinions and will affect the city’s investment environment. So they questioned about implementation plan, resident opinion collection and impacts to relevant subjects.
They also concerned about the implementation progress and time of the resolution's contents in public workforce cut and payroll increase. These have a large impact and huge work volume while implementation is too urgent. Many representatives queried if implementation process will meet requirements and enusre efficiency.
Moreover, specific mechanisms have a difference compared to current legal regulations so they questioned if the difference will raise difficulties for the resolution's materialization.
Press agencies also conveyed readers’ question that how these mechanisms will work in solving traffic jam and flooding.
Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the committee has determined 21 contents and specific projects to carry out the resolution. Of these, many have been completed to ask for opinions from the standing board of the city Party Committee and submit to the city People’s Council for approval at the regular meeting in June 2018.
“All contents and projects must be done in 2018,” said Mr. Phong. The time pressure requires relevant sides to join hands to ensure progress and efficiency, added him.
According to Mr. Phong, in 21 contents and projects, there are many works which the city has implemented for the last past. So some contents will be carried out immediately but some must be carefully studied and get experts and residents’ opinions to ensure effectiveness.
The city has conducted initial study steps to some projects. For instance, it has taken opinions from agencies and districts about decentralization and authorization so this project might be completed in January to submit to the People’s Council in the coming’s extraordinary meeting.
In the short term, HCMC will consider increasing one to two types of fees and not taxes. The fee hike will be conducted carefully because of its' impacts to production activities, business environment and the life of residents.
Mr. Phong said that taxes and fees are urban management tools to develop fast and sustainably not to aim at revenue increase.
Concluding the meeting, Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan reaffirmed the important role of press agencies in propaganda to efficiently implement Resolution 54. He required the Propaganda and Education Board of the city’s Party Committee to supply press agencies with information about plans and key works of the city while carrying out the resolution.
The city People’s Committee should inform them of the resolution's implementation results at regular press conferences so that they can popularize and contribute in creating consensus in the process of carrying out specific mechanisms for the city development.
