Expanded list of activities of the Fish Fund and clarified support payment procedure for municipal and VVD fish protection – Agriculture

The list of activities of the Fish Fund has been expanded and the procedure for support payments to persons authorized by municipalities and VVD for fish protection has been clarified. On Tuesday, April 23, the Government accepted the proposals prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture for amendments to the Fish Fund Regulations, expanding the list of activities of the Fish Fund event and clarifying the procedure for support payments to persons authorized by municipalities and the State Environmental Service (VVD) for fish protection.

Referring to the proposal of the Union of Local Governments of Latvia, the list of activities of the Fish Fund event “Measures for the protection of fish resources carried out by state institutions or municipalities whose competence is the protection of fish resources (except for the current expenses of the relevant institution)” has been expanded. In the future, the funds of the Fish Fund can also be used for the development of local government infrastructure related to the control and management of fish resources and waters.

Also, taking into account that on January 1 of this year, the revised version of the regulation on the allocation of state support for the development of fisheries from the financial resources of the Fish Fund entered into force*, which provides for a new procedure for the allocation of support payments to persons authorized by municipalities and VVD for fish protection, it is necessary to reconcile these changes with Regulations of the Fish Fund. Therefore, the amendments stipulate that in accordance with the decision of the Fish Fund Council, 40% of the amount of fines credited to the state budget for violations of the regulatory acts regulating fishing, which were independently discovered by the person authorized by the municipality or VVD for fish protection, will be credited to the credit institution account of the relevant municipality or the person authorized by the VVD for fish protection, before calculating and withholding personal income tax.

Regulations “Amendments to the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 19, 1995 No. 388 “Regulations of the Fish Fund”” shall enter into force on the day following their publication in the official publication “Latvian Journal”.

* Cabinet of Ministers Regulation of March 2, 2010 No. 215 “Rules on the allocation of state support for the development of fisheries from the financial resources of the Fish Fund” paragraph 47

The Ministry of Agriculture