Vietnam urged not to exempt cross-border e-com goods from import tax

The request followed the release of the draft government decree related to customs management of e-commerce imports and exports.

Evaluating the regulation on import tax exemption for orders with a value of 1 million VND (~$40) or less, VCCI said that this mechanism was not suitable as it would create inequality with indigenously-produced goods.

As the value of each e-commerce order is often low, mostly not exceeding 1 million VND, the regulation on the tax exemption threshold of 1 million VND means most imported e-commerce goods will not be subject to import tax.

Second, domestic manufacturing enterprises must pay import tax on input materials, while imported e-commerce goods are completely exempted. This creates inequality in tax policy, giving foreign goods a competitive advantage, a domestic media outlet reported citing the VCCI letter to the ministry.

VCCI believes a comprehensive import tax policy should be drafted, without exemptions or reductions for imported e-commerce goods.

However, the development of import tax policies for e-commerce goods will face many challenges, including the difficulty in applying HS code regulations as for traditionally imported goods for e-commerce goods.

The diversity of goods via e-commerce can lead to large-scale difficulties in accurately determining HS codes, delaying customs clearance and delivery, and even leading to order cancellations, causing damage to both sellers and e-commerce platforms.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)