The General Department of Taxation of Vietnam's requests regarding rectifying the work of making statements and providing information to the press

The General Department of Taxation of Vietnam's requests regarding rectifying the work of making statements and providing information to the press (Internet image) 

On June 6, 2024, the General Department of Taxation of Vietnam issued Official Dispatch 2412/TCT-VP regarding rectifying the work of making statements and providing information to the press.

The General Department of Taxation of Vietnam's requests regarding rectifying the work of making statements and providing information to the press

In the recent period, the spokesperson work and provision of information by tax agencies have been implemented quite systematically, in accordance with the legal regulations and provisions in Decree 09/2017/ND-CP dated February 9, 2017, issued by the Government on the detailed regulations on spokesperson work and provision of information to the press by tax agencies; Decision 1617/QD-BTC dated August 18, 2017, issued by the Minister of Finance on the regulations on spokesperson work and provision of information to the press by the Ministry of Finance; Decision 836/QD-BTC dated April 19, 2018, issued by the Director General of the General Department of Taxation on the regulations on work of making statements and providing information to the press by the General Department of Taxation.

However, besides the strict implementation of the regulations on spokesperson work and the provision of information by tax agencies and their leaders, there are still individuals, including leaders and officials at local tax offices, who have not strictly complied with the regulations on spokesperson work and hierarchical spokespersons. Specifically, there have been inaccurate statements providing information to the press regarding the legal regulations in the tax field, in the tax management work of the units, leading to the publication of incorrect statements by the press, causing misunderstandings about the legal regulations and tax management work.

A typical example is the content of the article "Even one VND overdue tax must be enforced to recover" (attached to the article), published on VnExpress Electronic Newspaper on May 23, 2024 - which quoted an inaccurate opinion of a tax official regarding the legal regulations on debt management and tax enforcement. This has violated the spokesperson work and hierarchical spokespersons of the tax agency, which need to be learned from and rectified immediately.

Given the above situation, the General Department of Taxation proposes that the heads of tax agencies provide thorough guidance, emphasizing the compliance of officials with the regulations on spokesperson work and provision of information issued by the Government, the Ministry of Finance, and the General Department of Taxation, especially paying attention to the decentralization of spokesperson work and provision of information to ensure the requirements for information on tax policy guidance and tax management work are accurately and correctly conveyed to society.

Regarding spokesperson work and provision of accurate information to the press, tax agencies shall implement it through 6 forms, including: (i) organizing press conferences; (ii) publishing statements and information on the Portal/Electronic Information Page; (iii) making direct statements or responding to interviews by journalists; (iv) sending press releases/information or responding to media agencies in written form or via email; (v) providing information through direct exchanges or at press briefings organized by the central or local authorities when requested; and (vi) issuing letters requesting media agencies to publish, broadcast, respond, or correct inaccurate information in the press.

Tax Departments are requested to assign dedicated focal points to carry out communication work at their units to enhance coordination with media agencies and closely coordinate with the communication department under the General Department of Taxation, thereby promptly capturing media-related information related to their units (through daily media monitoring reports) to report to higher-level leaders and provide spokespersons and information for response.

More details can be found in Official Dispatch 2412/TCT-VP, issued on June 6, 2024.

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