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Enterprises always have a demand to develop and innovate science and technology, develop production and business. Photo: HD

Most businesses have not enjoyed incentives

The preferential mechanism for science and technology enterprises has been specifically stipulated in Decree 13/2019/ND-CP of the Government on science and technology enterprises. Accordingly, production, business and service enterprises from science and technology results that are granted science and technology certificates will enjoy policies such as: corporate income tax exemption and reduction; exemption or reduction of land rent and water surface rent; Credit incentives... along with many preferential policies on export tax, import tax...

However, according to a survey by the Vietnam Association of Science and Technology Enterprises (VST) not long ago of 167 member enterprises, the majority of enterprises do not enjoy preferential policies under Decree 13. Specifically, only 6 enterprises receive incentives under Decree 13 with a total incentive amount of VND 91 billion; 18 enterprises do not know how to access preferential mechanisms; 1 enterprise whose revenue from science and technology products does not meet the 30% ratio to receive incentives; 141 enterprises have not yet received incentives.

Or Decree No. 95/2014/ND-CP of the Government regulating investment and financial mechanisms for science and technology activities, although being highly appreciated and having promoted certain effectiveness, the results achieved are still modest compared to the scale and needs of enterprises. The draft summary report evaluating Decree 95 of the Ministry of Science and Technology said that, according to data compiled from reports from localities, the total public budget spent on science and technology development investment was more than VND 10,627 billion in the 2016-2020 period. Regarding the establishment and use of the Science and Technology Development Fund by enterprises, statistics from the General Department of Taxation showed that the amount and number of enterprises setting up the Fund was not much; The use of money from the Fund for science and technology activities only reached 60%.

The Government's recent National Assembly report on the results of implementing Resolution 43 of the National Assembly on socio-economic recovery and development programs said that, according to survey data of the Departments of Science and Technology, the majority of enterprises still operate in the traditional direction, have not researched nor focused on the establishment and use of the enterprise's Science and Technology Development Fund. A small number of enterprises set funds for the purpose of equipping facilities, purchasing machinery and equipment for technological innovation or paying experts' salaries, training human resources and intellectual property. In addition, the report said that, according to enterprises' opinions, the current mechanism did not allow enterprises to spend this Fund on supporting science and technology international integration, rewards or intellectual property protection...

According to enterprises, the biggest obstacle is difficulty in accessing support policies and many challenges in implementation. Mr. Tran Manh Bao, Chairman of ThaiBinh Seed Group, said that the budget for science and technology activities was limited while procedures were difficult to access. In addition, enterprises also believe that there is no practical mechanism to protect the market, technology, technical solutions, new products... along with not fully promulgating policies to support innovation.

Policies need to be revised and promulgated

Solving existing problems and limitations is an issue of great concern to enterprises, especially when the market and science and technology are changing rapidly.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Hoang Duc Thao, Chairman of VST, said that organizations under the Ministry of Science and Technology should strengthen coordination with central agencies to organize, train, guide and implement Decree 13, ensuring that all science and technology enterprises benefit from this Decree. From a perspective of enterprises, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, Director of Thien Phuc Herbal Medicine Joint Stock Company, proposed increasing funding sources of research for science and technology enterprises. At the same time, it was necessary to create opportunities for science and technology enterprises to exchange, connect, and share their production and business activities with units across the country as well as promulgate new policies on land incentives, on investment credit such as reducing procedures for accessing preferential loans in the Decree on preferential investment credit.

In addition, enterprises also want to have more preferential capital sources for science and technology, such as having a guarantee policy for science and technology enterprises when borrowing capital from credit institutions, or offering special credit policies with low interest rates and few guaranteed rates…

Currently, the Ministry of Science and Technology is also proposing to amend a number of policy mechanisms related to science and technology, including amending Decree 95 in the direction of facilitating the spending and allocation of budget for science and technology as well as facilitating the access and use of Science and Technology Development Fund of enterprises...