4 stages of development associated with national history
On the morning of September 9, 2025, the Tax sector solemnly held a ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam Tax Industry's Traditional Day (September 10, 1945 - September 10, 2025).
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Mai Xuan Thanh - Party Committee Secretary, Director of the Tax Department - emphasized that this is a special occasion for the entire industry to show gratitude, look back on the development journey and affirm determination for the new period.
According to the Director of the Tax Department, over the past 80 years, the industry has gone through 4 development stages associated with the history of the nation. From Decree No. 27 of 1945, taxes became a resource to support the army, contributing to the resistance war and national reunification. After 1975, the industry continued to improve policies, adapt to innovation and affirmed its role as a macro-regulatory tool. In the 1990s, tax authorities were organized vertically, issuing 9 unified tax rates, moving towards the mechanism of self-declaration and self-payment. From 2011 to present, the Tax sector has promoted comprehensive reform and modernization, taking the lead in applying information technology, digitizing data and deploying electronic invoices nationwide.
That glorious tradition is the motivation for the entire industry to continue to unite, innovate, act decisively, and excellently complete all assigned tasks, Mr. Thanh emphasized.
Important contributions to the country's development
In recent years, the Tax sector has maintained its role as a pillar of the national budget. Total revenue managed by tax authorities from VND5.2 trillion in 1990 to present has exceeded VND1.7 million billion and is expected to reach over VND2 million billion in 2025, an increase of 380 times after 35 years.
The Tax sector is also a pioneer in institutional reform, expanding the collection base, participating in signing more than 75 double tax avoidance agreements and many multilateral cooperation mechanisms. In parallel, comprehensive digital transformation has created a foundation for the electronic tax management system, with 100% of businesses using electronic invoices, nearly 7 million eTax Mobile users and more than 30 million visits using electronic identification accounts.
Efforts to reduce administrative procedures have also achieved clear results, from 435 procedures to 219 procedures by early 2025, expected to decrease by 44% this year. The taxpayer satisfaction rate reached 93.9%. The team of tax officials has also changed strongly, with 97% having a university degree or higher, streamlining the payroll by nearly 30% but the work efficiency is increasingly improved.
Director Mai Xuan Thanh affirmed: "To achieve today's results, it is thanks to the attention of the Party and State, the support of businesses and people, as well as the sweat, intelligence and enthusiasm of many generations of tax officials who have contributed over the past 80 years".
Key tasks in the new period
In his speech, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang acknowledged the great contributions of the Tax sector, and emphasized the requirement for the entire sector to continue to innovate and make breakthroughs in the new context: "This is a great source of encouragement, adding strength for tax officials today to continue the glorious tradition, overcome all difficulties, excellently complete tasks, and make practical contributions to the cause of industrialization, modernization and sustainable development of the country" - the Minister said.
Mr. Thang suggested that the Tax sector focus on 5 key tasks:
First, proactively review and improve institutions, create a transparent business environment, and overcome existing bottlenecks.
Second, strengthen collection management, prevent revenue loss in e-commerce, digital economy, strictly handle violations of invoice fraud and tax refunds.
Third, promote administrative reform, towards 100% of online and comprehensive tax procedures.
Fourth, continue digital transformation, build a centralized database, apply AI, Big Data, and analyze data in real time.
Fifth, focus on training cadres, associated with discipline and order, building a transparent and honest tax administration to serve the people.
These are strategic tasks, a premise for the Tax sector to continue to affirm its core role, contributing to building a stable, transparent and modern national financial system for the sustainable and prosperous development of the country, Minister Nguyen Van Thang emphasized.
At the ceremony, Minister Nguyen Van Thang authorized the award of the First Class Labor Medal to the collective of the Tax Department, the Third Class Labor Medal to Director Mai Xuan Thanh, and the Prime Minister's Certificates of Merit to 5 collectives under the Tax Department. This is a recognition of the spirit of dedication, responsibility and persistent dedication of generations of tax officials, adding motivation to the new development journey.
