Continuing to strengthen the management of e-commerce and digital platform business in Vietnam

Continuing to strengthen the management of e-commerce and digital platform business in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

On June 6, 2024, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Official Telegram 56/CD-TTg regarding the continued reinforcement of state management in the field of e-commerce and business on digital platforms.

Continuing to strengthen the management of e-commerce and digital platform business in Vietnam

To further promote and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management in the field of e-commerce and digital platform businesses, the Prime Minister of Vietnam requests:

(1) The Minister of Industry and Trade shall coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies to:

- Continue reviewing the existing legal documents to promptly propose amendments, supplements, and improvements to legal policies for e-commerce management.

- Urgently complete and submit to the Government of Vietnam a decree to amend and supplement certain provisions of Decree 98/2020/ND-CP on penalties for administrative violations in commercial activities, production, trading of counterfeit and banned goods, and consumer rights protection (amended and supplemented by Decree 17/2022/ND-CP) before June 15, 2024, to strengthen sanctions for violations related to the storage and provision of information by e-commerce actors; summarize and assess the implementation of the National E-commerce Development Plan for 2021-2025, and based on this, research and propose the next phase's plan for approval by competent authorities.

- Continue cooperating with the Ministry of Finance in detecting and handling violations in e-commerce activities regarding enterprises, business households, and individuals failing to declare and pay taxes as stipulated by law.

- Promote communication, dissemination, and guidance to enterprises to enhance compliance with the law and protect consumer rights in the online space; increase warning and guidance for consumers engaging in e-commerce; inspect and handle acts of smuggling, commercial fraud, trading of counterfeit goods, and intellectual property rights violations and unfair competition in e-commerce.

- Coordinate, guide localities to organize and implement programs and projects supporting enterprises in applying e-commerce to enhance production and business efficiency and competitive capacity.

(2) The Minister of Finance shall coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies to:

- Host and coordinate with Ministries and agencies to continue researching, reviewing administrative procedure reductions, creating favorable conditions for taxpayers to declare and pay taxes; optimizing customs processes for goods import and export via e-commerce; ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of tax obligations, implementing tax collection measures, combating tax evasion, and strictly handling tax and customs violations in e-commerce activities.

- Enhance communication and support for domestic and cross-border e-commerce business organizations and individuals in registering as taxpayers, declaring, and paying taxes according to regulations.

- Develop a tax management database for e-commerce, apply modern technologies, risk management methods for digital platform businesses; gradually strictly control input invoices to ensure compliance in tax declarations and payments of enterprises, organizations, and individuals from production to distribution, importation to sales; increase information exchange, connection, data sharing with relevant Ministries and agencies.

- Increase inspections and examinations of live-selling activities, and in cases of organizations or individuals selling goods, receiving commissions from advertising, selling goods with signs of legal violations, refer to competent authorities for handling as per legal regulations.

- Closely coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security in implementing Decision No. 06/QD-TTg dated January 6, 2022, by the Prime Minister of Vietnam approving the Scheme on development and application of population data, identification, and electronic authentication for national digital transformation in 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030.

(3) The Minister of Public Security shall coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies to:

- Accelerate the progress of connecting the national population database with the databases and information systems of Ministries, central authorities, and local authorities to perform electronic identification and authentication; synchronize population data with civil status, tax, banking data, etc., to support individual and organizational identification, prevent fraud, and tax evasion in e-commerce activities.

- Research and develop mechanisms for accessing and effectively utilizing the electronic identification and authentication system to serve state management of online business activities in various fields.

- Direct functional units to enhance efforts to ensure economic security and public order in electronic and e-commerce transactions; implement measures to prevent, combat, and strictly handle violators as per legal regulations.

(4) The Minister of Information and Communications shall coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies to:

- Host and coordinate with related agencies to develop technological solutions to enhance monitoring and management of transactions in the online environment, combat commercial fraud, counterfeit goods, intellectual property rights violations, and protect consumer rights; cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in providing information and managing social network users engaged in e-commerce.

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies to draft legal documents aiming to strengthen tax management for cross-border Internet service providers and digital content service providers, enabling the temporary suspension or revocation of licenses for tax-violating activities in the online environment.

(5) The Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam shall coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies to:

- Strengthen the inspection and monitoring of electronic payment transactions in banking activities; improve the management and operation effectiveness of the interbank electronic payment system, supporting e-commerce transactions.

- Direct credit institutions and payment intermediary service providers to provide information on foreign providers without fixed business establishments in Vietnam, organizations, and individuals with income arising from cross-border platforms as stipulated by law and tax authorities' guidance.

- Be responsible for developing and enhancing the national e-commerce payment system, integrating electronic payment utilities for widespread use in e-commerce models; establish mechanisms to manage and oversee payment transactions, supporting tax management for cross-border service provision in e-commerce as per the Law on Tax Administration.

(6) The Minister of National Defense shall direct functional units to enhance state management measures for protecting national sovereignty in cyberspace, combat high-tech crimes, contributing to ensuring national cybersecurity; closely coordinate with relevant Ministries and agencies in preventing and combating smuggling and commercial fraud in e-commerce activities.

Details available at Official Telegram 56/CD-TTg dated June 6, 2024.

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