The Government has proposed a by-law to stop collecting 19 patacas from each passenger departing Macao by ferry, the Executive Council announced today. In 1991, the Macao authority announced decree-law 56/91/M to collect the fee from every passenger using outgoing transportation means, to fund the maintenance and upgrade of transportation infrastructure. Another decree-law announced in 1999, 61/99/M, required passengers leaving Macao by sea to pay 19 patacas each. This is included in the ferry ticket and collected on the government's behalf by ferry companies. In a press conference today, the Executive Council announced that the Government would issue a by-law to abolish these two decree-laws and cease collecting such fees, due to the increasing public income from other sources and Macao's positioning as a tourist destination. The abolition of ferry departure fee and thus reduction in the price of ferry tickets would help boost Macao's attractiveness to tourists, the Executive Council said. The by-law will come into effect when it is published in the Macao SAR Gazette.
