Ministry of Water Resources, Yangtze River Water Resources Commission, and the Development and Reform Commissions, Price Bureaus, and Finance Departments (Bureaus) of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, and Sichuan Province (municipalities directly under the central government):
We have received your Ministry of Water Resources’ “Letter Regarding the Extension of the Implementation of the Fee Standards for Sand and Gravel Resources in the Yangtze River Channel” (Water Finance Letter [2009] No. 317). After careful consideration, we hereby notify you of the approved fee standards for sand and gravel resources in the Yangtze River channel, as well as related matters, as follows:
1. The Yangtze River Water Resources Commission and the water administrative authorities of provinces and municipalities along the Yangtze River shall collect from entities and individuals engaged in sand mining (including sand mining for land reclamation via dredging), stone quarrying, earth excavation, and gold panning activities in the main stream channel of the Yangtze River below Yibin, a fee for sand and gravel resources from the Yangtze River channel, collected monthly based on the volume of sand and gravel mined. The specific fee rates are as follows:
(1) For the main stream channel of the Yangtze River above Yichang, the fee is 1 yuan per ton.
(2) For the main channel of the Yangtze River from Yichang to Hukou, the fee is 1.5 yuan per ton.
(3) For the main stream channel of the Yangtze River below Hukou, the fee is 2 yuan per ton.
2. Fee-charging entities shall, in accordance with regulations, apply to the designated price authorities for a fee collection license and use the invoices uniformly printed by the Ministry of Finance and the finance departments of provinces and municipalities directly under the central government, based on their financial affiliation. Fee-charging entities must strictly adhere to the above-mentioned regulations when collecting fees and voluntarily accept supervision and inspection by the price and finance authorities.
3. The above-mentioned provisions shall take effect from the date of their promulgation. The “Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance on Re-determining the Collection Standards for Sand and Gravel Resources in the Yangtze River Waterway” (Fa Gai Jia Ge [2006] No. 2073) shall be repealed concurrently.

National Development and Reform Commission
Ministry of Finance
December 9, 2009