Highlight of the most notable documents of the last week

1. Increase of 6.92% in Monthly Allowance for Retired Commune Officials

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued Circular 08/2018/TT-BNV adjusting the monthly allowance from July 1, 2018, for retired elderly commune officials according to the following formula: New Allowance = June 2018 Allowance x 1.0692.

The new monthly allowance for the beneficiaries from July 1, 2018, is as follows:

- Officials who were former Secretaries of the Communist Party, Presidents of the Commune People's Committee: 1,974,000 VND;- Officials who were former Deputy Secretaries, Vice Presidents, Standing Members of the Communist Party, Secretarial Members of the Commune People's Committee, Secretary of the Commune People's Council, Chief of the Commune Military Command, Chief of Commune Police: 1,910,000 VND;- Other titles: 1,768,000 VND.

Circular 08/2018/TT-BNV is effective from August 15, 2018.

1. New Salary and Allowance Rates for Military Officers

On June 28, 2018, the Ministry of National Defense issued Circular 88/2018/TT-BQP regulating new salary, allowances, and benefits for those receiving salaries or rank allowances from the state budget in agencies and units under the Ministry of National Defense.

Using the statutory pay rate of 1.39 million VND to calculate the new salary and allowances for the beneficiaries from July 1, 2018. Specifically, the salaries of officers according to military ranks are as follows:

- General: 14,456,000 VND/month (increased by 936,000 VND);- Senior Lieutenant General: 13,622,000 VND/month (increased by 882,000 VND);- Lieutenant General: 12,788,000 VND/month (increased by 828,000 VND);- Major General: 11,954,000 VND/month (increased by 774,000 VND);- Colonel: 11,120,000 VND/month (increased by 720,000 VND);- Lieutenant Colonel: 10,147,000 VND/month (increased by 657,000 VND).

Details can be found in the annexes attached to Circular 88/2018/TT-BQP effective from August 12, 2018.

1. National Defense Law 2018: New Regulations on Martial Law

National Defense Law 2018 officially effective from January 1, 2019, replacing National Defense Law 2005, supplements special measures applied when implementing martial law orders, such as:

- Prohibit demonstrations, strikes, market closures, school closures, and mass gatherings;- Prohibit or restrict movement of people and vehicles; suspend or restrict operations in public places;- Arrest or coerce individuals or organizations with actions harmful to national defense and security to leave or be banned from leaving their residence or a specific area;- Mobilize people, vehicles of agencies, organizations, individuals;- Special management of weapons, explosives, supporting tools, incendiary substances, toxic substances, radioactive substances; strictly control information technology infrastructure, communication means, journalism activities, publishing, printing, duplicating, collecting, and using information.

1. Competition Law 2018: Prohibited Unfair Competition Practices

Competition Law 2018 was passed by the National Assembly on June 12, 2018, and officially effective from July 1, 2019.

It regulates prohibited unfair competition practices such as:

- Infringement of business secret information by accessing, collecting business secrets against the security measures of the information owner, or disclosing, using business secrets without permission of the information owner;- Compelling customers or business partners of other businesses through threats or coercion to stop or not engage in transactions with that business;- Providing untruthful information about other businesses;- Disrupting the business activities of other businesses;- Luring customers with unethical acts;- Selling goods or providing services below total cost leading to or potentially leading to the elimination of other businesses trading the same goods or services.- …

And several documents in the field of Customs, Export, and Import such as:

1. Circular 13/2018/TT-BCT on the management and use of industrial explosives, precursors for the production of industrial explosives, effective from July 1, 2018.
2. Decision 1919/QD-TCHQ on the Procedure for tax exemption, tax reduction, tax refund, non-collection of tax, handling of overpaid tax for exported and imported goods, effective from July 13, 2018.
3. Decision 1921/QD-TCHQ on the Procedure for classification, application of tax rates for exported and imported goods, effective from June 28, 2018.
4. Official Dispatch 3899/TCHQ-GSQL dated July 4, 2018, on addressing difficulties in Decree 59/2018/ND-CP and its guiding documents.

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