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| Many high-quality goods are sold at the Moc Bai duty-free shop in Tay Ninh province __ Photo: VNA |
The Ministry of Finance is seeking public feedback on a draft circular regulating value-added tax (VAT) refund for goods carried out of Vietnam by foreigners and overseas Vietnamese. The draft does not apply to flight crew members or seafarer delegations, who remain subject to specialised legislation.
A key feature of the proposal is the establishment of an integrated tax refund management system designed to ensure the secure storage and seamless exchange of information among four core entities: customs authorities, tax authorities, commercial banks and goods-selling enterprises.
Under the draft, the system would be established, managed and operated by customs authorities. Participating entities would be connected through a shared data platform, with each granted a separate access account and required to use digital signatures in accordance with the law on e-transactions. The system is expected to enable rapid connectivity with the tax sector’s e-invoice system, thereby enhancing data inspection and reconciliation among competent authorities.
Notably, purchasers would be required to present their goods together with invoices-cum-tax refund declaration forms at least 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure sufficient time for customs inspection.
For enterprises, eligibility to participate in the VAT refund scheme would be subject to stringent conditions.
Businesses must be lawfully established, operate at clearly defined business locations, and apply the tax deduction method. In addition, they must commit to participating in and synchronising data with the integrated system, a requirement aimed at ensuring transparency and accuracy in the refund process. During operations, enterprises would also be responsible for assisting customers in generating e-invoices-cum-tax refund declaration forms directly on the system.
In the event of technical disruptions preventing access to the system, enterprises may issue paper invoices to safeguard purchasers’ interests, but must subsequently update the relevant data once connectivity is restored.
On a quarterly basis, participating enterprises would be required to submit implementation reports to tax authorities for monitoring and administration in accordance with the Law on Tax Administration.- (VLLF)
