District 1 Tax Department has announced that the tax debt of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden Company Limited as of October 31 is more than 846 billion VND. Of which, the overdue amount for forced tax collection is more than 787 billion VND.
Regarding this issue, Ms. Vu Thi Huong Giang - Director of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens - said that Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens has only recently become a financially independent enterprise, a "non-profit enterprise". The main goal of the unit is to nurture and preserve rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.
Regarding the origin of the debt, Ms. Giang said that in 2014, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee signed a decision to lease land to the Zoo with an area of 158,117 m² for a period of 50 years, with annual rental payments. According to the announcement from the District 1 Tax Department, the annual land rental amount is up to 163.3 billion VND.
However, the land area used for service business activities only accounts for 5,600 m², equivalent to about 1/28 of the total area.
For this area, the Zoo has paid the full annual land rent, about 6 billion VND/year. The remaining area (about 152,500 m²) mainly serves the conservation and nurturing of rare animals and plants and does not generate direct income.
"Although the conservation area is combined with tourism for visitors, it cannot be considered a mere business. The main task is still to preserve and care for rare animals.
If we force the Zoo to pay taxes for this entire area, we will be forced to increase ticket prices very high, which will affect people, especially students and workers," Ms. Giang shared.
The Zoo has repeatedly requested the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to consider adjusting the land lease decision to separate the conservation area from the taxable area.
According to Ms. Giang, this is a fundamental solution to solve the problem. However, from May 2024 to now, through meetings chaired by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and related units, the Zoo has not yet received specific instructions from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment as well as the official conclusion of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.
Ms. Giang expressed concern: "If the Zoo is forced to pay hundreds of billions of dong in taxes, it will no longer have funds to care for and preserve animals and plants. We are even at risk of having to stop operations. Animal care cannot be interrupted, because animals need to be fed and cared for continuously."
Currently, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden has also submitted a written report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the problems, proposing to temporarily postpone enforcement and debt collection, and is waiting for the authorities to review and adjust the policy to suit the nature of the unit's operations.
Without timely solutions, the risk of the Zoo's shutdown will greatly affect the rare animals being preserved as well as the experiences of millions of people and tourists.
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden was built in 1864. This is one of the 8 oldest zoos in the world. This place is raising more than 2,000 animals with 135 species, many of which are in the group of endangered and rare animals.
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden also has more than 2,500 trees with more than 900 species that need to be preserved.
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is the destination of many international tourists and people from all over the country when coming to Ho Chi Minh City to visit, study and work.
