Tax debt tends to increase, the Finance sector recommends that localities take action

Photo: ST

Budget collection continues to face many difficulties

Recently, budget collection work has achieved important results. Total state budget revenue in 2023 reached 1,752.5 trillion VND, exceeding 8.1% of the ordinance estimate, thereby making an important contribution to stabilizing the macroeconomy, ensuring national defense, security and social safety.

In 2024, budget collection will continue to face many difficulties and challenges as our country's economy is highly open and is affected by many aspects. Meanwhile, the world economy is increasing the possibility of recession and instability; rapid and unpredictable economic, political, and military fluctuations; Natural disasters and epidemics are difficult to predict.

In that context, the Government issued Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP on the main tasks and solutions to direct and manage the implementation of socio-economic development plans and state budget estimates of 2024. At the same time, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance have issued many guiding documents on promoting the implementation of electronic invoices, strengthening the prevention of revenue loss, and implementing the handling and collection of outstanding tax debts.

However, the amount of outstanding tax debt in many localities in the first 4 months of 2024 tends to increase, especially debts for land use fees and land rent. The use of electronic invoices arising each time is a mandatory regulation for all transactions, but in some industries, there are still many businesses, organizations and individuals with low compliance in implementation.

Besides, many people do not have the habit of getting invoices when consuming, although the Tax agency has made many efforts to propagate and implement the "Lucky Invoice" program to encourage consumers to get invoices.

To well implement the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister on strengthening the management and use of e-invoices and promoting the urging and handling of tax debt recovery, the Ministry of Finance has just sent an official dispatch to the leaders of the Localities to promote coordination in implementing solutions, mobilizing the combined strength of the entire political apparatus to handle tax debt collection into the state budget, contributing to achieving economy-society development goals. The goal is to ensure that the ratio of tax debt by December 31, 2024 out of the total actual state budget revenue in 2024 does not exceed 8% and the total tax and fee debt by the end of 2024 does not exceed 5% of the total actual state budget revenue in 2024.

Propose land recovery for projects with tax debt

To collect outstanding debts and prevent loss of state budget revenue, the Ministry of Finance proposed to establish a Steering Committee to urge the collection of outstanding tax debts, land use fees, and land rents in the province/city by leaders of The People's Committee of the province or city acting as the head of the committee to review the list of taxpayers with large tax debts in the area, determine specific recovery measures for each taxpayer, and report to the People's Committee of the province or city and the organize work to urge tax debt recovery.

In addition, direct relevant agencies in the area to coordinate closely with the Tax authority to apply enforcement measures according to the provisions of the Law on Tax Administration to recover tax debt.

Especially for long-standing debts of land use fees, land rents, and mineral exploitation rights fees, it is necessary to focus on removing difficulties and obstacles to soon handle tax debt recovery. For projects that are delayed, have long tax debts, and do not fulfill their financial obligations to the state, the Steering Committee advises the Provincial and City People's Committees to carry out land recovery according to regulations.

Along with that, the Ministry of Finance requested localities to direct Tax authorities and related agencies to coordinate in providing information to promptly and effectively deploy enforcement measures to collect tax debt.

The Ministry of Finance also requested localities to establish a Steering Committee to deploy e-invoices initiated from cash registers in the area to coordinate with Tax authorities to inspect businesses and business households, ensuring 100% of transactions are processed and fully issued e-invoices; Detect and strictly handle cases that have been registered but not applied, have not fully applied the preparation of e-invoices, and violated tax laws.