Highlight of the Most Notable Documents of the Past Week

1. Guidelines for Amending Accounting Books During the Fiscal Year

The Ministry of Finance issued Circular 107/2017/TT-BTC guiding policies for administrative and non-business accounting.

Book entries recorded in the fiscal year, budget year N, if there are errors or as required by the competent authority, shall be adjusted according to the method stipulated in Clause 1, Clause 4, Article 27 of the Law on Accounting. Specifically:

- Correct by striking a line through the mistake and writing the correct number or letter above, and it must be signed by the chief accountant next to it;- Enter a negative number by rewriting the incorrect number in red ink or rewriting the incorrect number in parentheses, then writing the correct number, and it must be signed by the chief accountant next to it;- Adjust by making an "adjustment document" and adding the difference to correct the entry.

Circular 107/2017/TT-BTC is effective from November 24, 2017, and officially applied from January 1, 2018.

2. Regulations on Clothing and Personal Items for Detainees and Temporary Prisoners

Decree 120/2017/ND-CP details the implementation of some provisions of the Law on Temporary Detention and Imprisonment. The regulations on clothing and personal items for detainees and temporary prisoners are as follows:

- Standard items for temporary detention facilities (if lacking): 01 mat, 01 personal mosquito net, 01 pair of slippers, 02 sets of long clothes, 01 winter coat, and 01 blanket;- Detainees are provided with 01 toothbrush, toothpaste not exceeding 20g, and 01 face towel;- Temporary prisoners are provided with 01 toothbrush, toothpaste not exceeding 100g/02 months, 01 face towel/04 months, 0.3 kg of laundry soap/month;- Female detainees and temporary prisoners are provided with additional sanitary items equivalent to 02 kg of medium-quality rice/month;- Standardized clothing: Long-sleeve blouson-style shirts, long trousers with elastic, no numbers, blue color.

Decree 120/2017/ND-CP is effective from January 1, 2018.

3. More Cases of Land Use Change Without Permission

Circular 33/2017/TT-BTNMT (effective from December 5, 2017) amends and supplements Circular 02/2015/TT-BTNMT detailing some provisions of Decree 43/2014/ND-CP and Decree 44/2014/ND-CP.

The new regulations on cases of land use change without permission from the competent state agency but requiring registration of changes, include:

- Conversion from annual crop land to other agricultural land including:- Land used for constructing greenhouses and other buildings serving cultivation purposes;- Land for building livestock and poultry farms and other animal breeding facilities;- Aquaculture land for learning and experimental research purposes;- Conversion from other annual crop land, aquaculture land to perennial crop land;- Conversion from perennial crop land to aquaculture land, annual crop land;- Conversion from homestead land to non-agricultural land not being homestead land;- Conversion from commercial land to non-agricultural production and business land not being commercial land; conversion from non-agricultural production and business land not being commercial land or non-agricultural production establishment land to land for construction of service works.

4. Fines Up to 70 Million VND for Transporting Oxidizing Substances Without a Permit

This penalty is stipulated in Decree 119/2017/ND-CP on administrative penalties in the areas of standards, measurement, and product and goods quality.

A fine of 30 - 70 million VND for any of the following violations:

- Transporting dangerous goods without a license from the competent authority;- Using an expired dangerous goods transportation permit;- Transporting dangerous goods beyond the scope of the issued license;- Using non-conformable vehicles, packaging, or labeling for dangerous goods;- Failing to provide documents on dangerous goods transportation activities upon request by the competent authority;- Failing to notify in writing the persons involved in transportation about relevant information pertaining to the transportation of dangerous goods;- Failing to notify the environmental management authority to coordinate in handling when there is a chemical incident during the transportation of dangerous goods;- Failing to report on the transportation of dangerous goods;- Failing to rectify violations.

Decree 119/2017/ND-CP is effective from December 15, 2017.

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