Shanxi, one leading coal production base in northern China, aims to remove coal inspection stations at the county level and below by the end of 2014, sources reported, citing insiders with operator Jingneng Group Co., Ltd.<br /> <br /> The move is part of the coal-rich province’s efforts to clear unreasonable coal fees and charges to ease heavy burdened coal producers and pave the way for the government’s reform of coal resource tax to value-based starting from next year.<br /> <br /> It also marks an end to the three-decade long dominance of Shanxi Coal Transport and Sales Group Co., Ltd. (SCTSG), a subsidiary of the provincial-owned Jinneng Group, over coal sales through road to end users inside and outside the province.<br /> <br /> With numerous inspection stations set up across the province, SCTSG has been collecting various fees on behalf of the government, ranging 5.5-40 yuan/t, sources said, adding miners had to pay more in golden days of the coal market.<br /> <br /> This not only added burdens to miners and traders, but also fostered corruption. Workers at the station were mainly to check sales permit and illegal sales, and they can also fine those without permits.<br /> <br /> There are 329 stations along the coal transport highways and roads in the province, with around 20,000 workers employed, insiders disclosed.<br /> <br /> More than 80% of SCTSG’s income came from fees collected by the stations around 2011, but it was being gradually reduced with the government campaign of cleaning up coal-involved fees and taxes.<br /> <br /> Since July last year, the Shanxi provincial government has taken a series of measures to cut administrative charges and eliminate illegal fees and taxes. It has scrapped the mine transformation fund (5 yuan/t) and mine environment recovery fund (10 yuan/t) among others.<br /> <div style="text-align:center;"> <img src="/upfiles/news/image/20141010/20141010175056_6585.jpg" alt="" style="line-height:1.5;" /> </div>