MARINA extends 30% annual tonnage fee discount

• The 30% discount in annual tonnage fee (ATF) has been extended by Maritime Industry Authority to fiscal year 2022

• The discount extension in line with Presidential Proclamation No. 15 issued in September extending the country’s state of calamity due to COVID-19 from September to December 2022

• ATF to be assessed/collected starting from November will be based on the new rules on assessment and collection of the fee under MC DS-2022-01

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has extended the 30% discount on annual tonnage fee (ATF) to cover fiscal year 2022.

According to MA 2022-63 published on November 17, extension of the discount under MARINA Advisory No. 2021-59 conforms with the issuance of Presidential Proclamation No. 15 in September extending the state of calamity in the country due to COVID-19 from September to December 2022.

MA 2021-59, published in November 2021, was issued in view of the “debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and recognizing its extreme impact on the shipping and maritime industry”. The discount under MA 2021-59 covered fiscal year 2021.

MA 2022-63 noted that as MARINA Circular No. DS-2022-01 has been already in effect since November 11, the ATF to be assessed/collected from that date onward will be based on the new MC.

READ: MARINA amends rules on tonnage fee assessment

MC DS-2022-01 amends MARINA’s rules on the assessment and collection of ATF, including reduced ATF for ships aged 0-5 years.

Under the new memorandum, the ATF is now P25 per gross ton (GT) if payment is made from January 1 to March 31, and P30 if payment is made from April 1 to December 31.

Previously, the fee was P35 per GT if paid from July 1 to December 31 under MC No. 2008-07, which provides the revised rules on the collection of ATF.

MC DS-2022-01 adds that in cases when the ship is 0-5 years old reckoned from its launch date, the ATF is calculated at P10 per GT. The regular schedule will apply on the ship’s sixth year.

The ATF will be assessed based on the gross tonnage of each registered ship as of December 31 of the year immediately preceding the calendar year.

ATF is a fee collected by MARINA pursuant to the revised implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 9295, or the Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004.

The fee collected is used to finance MARINA’s programs, activities, and projects for the promotion and development of maritime safety in the country. – Roumina Pablo