The Fatwa and Legislation Department’s recent approval for Kuwait Municipality to enforce fees for car shades marks a significant development. This sanction stemmed from the Municipality’s request following the Municipal Council’s decision last May, authorizing the fee structure for erecting awnings.
These fees entail half a dinar per meter for various awning installations in private housing areas, government agencies, private and public sectors, investment, industrial, and agricultural properties. Moreover, a fee of 5 dinars per square meter annually outside property boundaries is established for commercial use. The “Fatwa” opinion also delves into the legal context, addressing Law 79/1995,
which typically prohibits fee increments except through specific legislation. However, it clarifies an exception for new fees imposed for the first time. This exception allows the municipal council, according to Municipal Law 33/2016, to introduce fees for car parking shades as an amendment to pre-existing fee regulations. This nuanced legal interpretation provides the groundwork for the imposition of these new fees.