In less than half a month, hundreds of thousands of business households will officially switch from contract tax to self-declared tax. Although the policy has been widely popular, many small businesses, especially family businesses, still express many concerns about having to get used to electronic recording and declaration.
Ms. Pham Thi Hoa - an electronics business household in Vuon Lai ward - said that there was still a large amount of inventory purchased from small sources before, without invoices, causing businesses to worry.
"We do import-export business through many established relationships, mainly cash transactions, so some items do not have enough invoices and documents. Now the regulations are tightened, if they are forced to present complete documents, it will be very difficult for businesses, and there is a risk of being fined or forced to stop selling inventories," said Ms. Hoa.
For family businesses that are used to trading based on experience, revenue management using electronic books and invoices is considered a big barrier. Many people are concerned about the risk of mistakes in the implementation process, leading to being fined.
"Customers who buy retail for a few tens of thousands do not need invoices, but I still have to record full revenue. If I do not issue invoices in accordance with regulations, I may be fined, not to mention having to meet new tax obligations, so I am quite worried" - Mr. Phan Van Manh, owner of a grocery store in Dien Hong ward, shared.
In addition, many older business households are hesitant about the ability to access technology. Although they have been instructed to use applications and software to support declaration, for those who have little contact with computers and smartphones, the operation still faces many difficulties.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy - a business household in Saigon ward - said that after being guided by tax officials, she had taken the basic steps in making and issuing electronic invoices. Although there are still some concerns, with the official application deadline in a few weeks, Ms. Thuy feels more secure as there is always timely support during the implementation process.
From a management perspective, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Deputy Head of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department - said that in the initial implementation phase, the Tax sector has identified priorities for supporting business households. According to the orientation, the tax authority will focus on reminding and guiding, and has not immediately applied handling measures according to regulations.
"This is the transition period, so it is inevitable that there will be confusion, especially in the stages of recording books and handling inventories - two contents that make many business households most worried. The Tax Department is implementing many solutions to remove obstacles, helping businesses feel secure in the conversion process" - Mr. Thanh said.
Regarding the readiness level, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh said that through the survey, 99.7% of the votes have been collected, showing that the policy of eliminating contract tax has been popular and business households basically have the information. Of these, 92% of households said they were ready to switch to declaration. The remaining 8% will continue to be coordinated by the Tax sector with departments, branches, People's Committees of communes, wards and units to provide support solutions from now until the end of the year, striving to complete 100% according to the set roadmap.
