 |
| Apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City__Photo: VNA |
The Ministry of Finance is drafting comprehensive tax policies on real estate, gold trading and casino operations with an aim to strengthen transparency and feasibility with numerous laws and decrees to be submitted to the Government and the National Assembly for review in coming months.
Speaking at a press conference held by the ministry on October 3, Luu Duc Huy, Deputy Director of the Department of Tax, Fee and Charge Policy Management and Supervision, said the ministry is revising real estate taxation to ensure consistency with the Land Law and the Law on Real Estate Business while improving transparency and fairness in the market.
A draft amendment to the Personal Income Tax Law, which includes provisions on property transfers, is scheduled to be tabled at the next National Assembly session.
The proposal of taxing property transactions based on holding periods was dropped after public consultation, Huy said, adding that the ministry instead plans to maintain current regulations to ensure stability, feasibility and social consensus.
On gold trading, he said the ministry is working with the State Bank of Vietnam to add bullion transactions to taxable income.
Accordingly, the draft Law on Personal Income Tax proposes a 0.1 percent tax rate on bullion transfers. Transactions of raw gold and jewelry would remain exempt.
Huy said the move is expected to curb the sharp gold price rises of and narrow down gaps between domestic and global benchmarks.
Vietnam currently imposes no personal income tax on bullion trading because individuals are prohibited from trading gold bars under existing regulations, with transactions limited to licensed banks and financial institutions.
With regard to casinos and betting, Nguyen Hoang Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Financial Institutions, said that the ministry is reviewing Decree 03 of 2017 on casino operations.
Under the decree, only projects with a minimum investment of USD 2 billion are qualified for licenses. At present, there are only three large-scale casinos operational in Phu Quoc, Ho Tram and Nam Hoi An together with six smaller ones which were licensed before the decree came into force.
Vietnam has allowed pilot schemes for Vietnamese to enter some large casinos, Duong said, adding that initial assessments showed positive impacts, including job creation, tourism and infrastructure development. The ministry is evaluating the pilot implementations for adjustments.
Betting activities, including horse racing, dog racing and international football, are also under review.
Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi said that casino and betting industries have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and face pressure to adapt to digital transformation, requiring amendments to the regulations. He added that a separate law to regulate these industries may be put into consideration.
At the conference, Chi said that the ministry is hastening efforts to upgrade Vietnam’s stock market to ensure stability, transparency and sustainability with drastic legal reforms, new technology systems and stronger international engagements.
“Market upgrading is not a one-off target but a continuous process that must be sustained over the long term," Chi said, adding that the gold is to build a transparent and stable stock market that supports the economy, enterprises and long-term capital market.
The ministry has launched a new IT system, advanced discussions with FTSE Russell and MSCI, and signed a cooperation memorandum with FTSE Russell.
On digital assets, Ha Duy Tung, Deputy Chairman of the State Securities Commission, said that the ministry is drafting regulations on licensing for cryptocurrency exchange under a controlled pilot scheme.
No company has yet applied, to date, though some have shown interest, he said.
Chi said that detailed regulations will be issued early to create favorable conditions for enterprises to participate in the crypto asset market.
“The long-term goal is building a transparent, modern and sustainable market that supports economic growth and creates effective fundraising channels.”- (VNA/VLLF)
