Speaking at the 2024 Business and Law Forum on the morning of October 9, from the practice of enterprises implementing investment projects using land, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hiep - Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors - shared that the most common problems of enterprises today lie in administrative procedures and site clearance.
"Our project alone requires 177 steps and 360 days to have enough time for dialogue and enforcement. Site clearance procedures are a "burden" that real estate businesses have to endure," said Mr. Hiep.
Regarding administrative procedures, according to Mr. Hiep, some projects require 38-40 seals. There is a model process for handling administrative procedures, but this process needs to be re-examined because there are no sanctions, causing the procedures to be prolonged.
"In addition, regarding planning adjustments, many things are not important but still require all levels and opinions, then the investment policy must be adjusted. These procedures are extremely cumbersome and difficult. It's like a maze," said Mr. Hiep.
Another content discussed by the Business and Law Forum is tax legal issues and solutions.
From the reality of enterprises, it shows that the difficulties in VAT refund need to be revised and supplemented with regulations on procedures for VAT refund to ensure policy transparency, ensure tax refund according to risk management principles, and timely tax refund for enterprises within the time limit prescribed by law.
In addition, corporate income tax also needs to be revised in the context of businesses tending to operate in multiple industries and fields.
At the same time, with the requirements for reforming administrative procedures and creating favorable conditions for businesses, the regulation that businesses must declare and pay separate taxes on profits from real estate transfers is revealing limitations and inadequacies that need to be adjusted accordingly.
Speaking at the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long emphasized that the guiding viewpoint of leaders at all levels is to innovate thinking and perfect institutions. Shift from management thinking to resource-unlocking thinking. Decentralize and delegate power in a substantial way. At the same time, ensure sufficient capacity for agencies and people to be decentralized to organize and carry out work.
"The Government acknowledges the forum's comments. It is requested that the Ministry of Justice fully synthesize the comments and advice on the Prime Minister's directive documents and assign tasks to agencies, first of all, the agencies in charge of revising the draft laws right now," said Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long.
The Deputy Prime Minister also directed ministries and branches to study the issues raised at the forum in an open-minded manner. The accepted opinions need to be revised and included in the document, if not, a satisfactory explanation is needed.
Previously, Minister of Justice Nguyen Hai Ninh said that this was the second time the Business and Law Forum was held. The authorities affirmed their readiness to accompany and “completely resolve” the difficulties and legal issues that the business community faces, contributing to creating a truly open and favorable investment, production and business environment.
