The Ministry of Finance will review and regulate a tax rate for the press.

On the morning of March 26, full-time National Assembly deputies discussed the draft Law on Corporate Income Tax (amended).

Expressing his opinion, delegate Thach Phuoc Binh - Deputy Head of the National Assembly delegation of Tra Vinh province - expressed his concerns about the tax rate to the press. According to Mr. Binh, this issue was raised by National Assembly delegates at the 8th session but has not been accepted yet.

Accordingly, the drafting agency proposed to apply the tax rate from 20% to 10% for printed newspapers, and from 20% to 15% for other types of press. The delegate from Tra Vinh said that this regulation direction has created inadequacies.

This regulation contradicts the practical operation of the press and tax policy. According to Mr. Binh, currently, electronic newspapers are gradually taking the leading role, while printed newspapers are increasingly declining, many newsrooms have cut or stopped publishing paper newspapers to focus on electronic newspapers.

Another problem, according to Mr. Binh, is that both printed and electronic newspapers provide information, guide public opinion and provide communication services but are subject to different tax rates.

Furthermore, Mr. Binh also commented that imposing higher taxes on electronic newspapers negatively affects the press in a competitive context, many press agencies find it difficult to maintain operations due to declining revenue.

"The requirement is to convert newspapers to digital, but tax policies have not kept up, creating financial barriers for online newspapers," said a National Assembly delegate.

In addition, Mr. Binh also cited that many cross-border online platforms account for a high proportion of advertising revenue but are only subject to indirect taxes, while domestic press units are subject to both high taxes and fierce competition.

"To be fair, a 10% tax rate should be applied to all press agencies, without distinguishing between print newspapers and other types of press," Mr. Thach Phuoc Binh suggested.

According to Mr. Binh, the tax reduction will help press agencies overcome financial difficulties, maintain operations and improve the quality of information. Applying a common tax rate will also help balance different types of press, promote digital transformation; sustainable development and have more resources to invest in content and technology.

"The 10% tax rate also helps domestic newspapers improve their competitiveness with cross-border platforms," ​​said Mr. Binh.

Receiving and explaining this issue, Deputy Minister of Finance Cao Anh Tuan said that in the current context, especially when restructuring press agencies, applying a tax rate that does not differentiate between print newspapers and other types of press is appropriate.

Agreeing with the opinion of the National Assembly delegate, Mr. Cao Anh Tuan affirmed that the drafting agency will coordinate with the reviewing agency - the Economic and Financial Committee to review and accept the plan to stipulate the same rate of 10% for all types of press, and submit it to the National Assembly at the upcoming 9th session.

(According to TPO)

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/347817/Bo-Tai-chinh-se-ra-soat-quy-dinh-mot-muc-thue-voi-bao-chi.aspx