PM urges removal of 30% of unnecessary business conditions

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) visits a production line of an enterprise in Quang Nam last month. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested extra efforts to reduce administrative procedure processing time and business costs (compliance costs) by at least 30%, while also abolishing 30% of unnecessary business conditions.

In his March 9 official dispatch on some key tasks and solutions to cut down administrative procedures, improve the business environment, and promote socio-economic development, PM Chinh urged ministries, agencies, and localities to focus on thoroughly reviewing, reducing, and simplifying regulations and administrative procedures related to investment, production, business activities, and citizens' daily lives; and conduct business-related procedures online, ensuring smooth, seamless, and efficient operations.

He requested the timely and substantive settlement of difficulties, obstacles, and recommendations from citizens and businesses.

Ministries, agencies, and localities, according to their assigned functions and tasks, must strictly adhere to administrative discipline and order; create a strong shift in working styles and conduct; proactively perform their assigned tasks with the highest sense of responsibility; promptly detect and strictly handle acts of harassment, corruption, and negative behaviours in order to consolidate and enhance the trust of citizens, businesses, and investors.

Extra efforts are needed to address the difficulties and recommendations from businesses that have been documented in the Conclusion Notices from permanent Cabinet members and the PM in separate meetings and working sessions with state-owned, private, small and medium-sized, and foreign-invested enterprises by March 2025. In cases that exceed their authority, there is a must to promptly propose specific solutions and send them to the Ministry of Finance for summarisation and report to the Government leader before March 31. In the dispatch, the PM also urged the implementation of concerted, drastic, and breakthrough solutions to develop science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and high-quality human resources.

It is necessary to enhance economic and technology diplomacy, especially in areas such as semiconductors, digital transformation, innovation, and startup to attract investment, promote trade, and develop science and technology, and emerging industries.

Workers at a company in Tay Ninh province (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Science and Technology was tasked with increasing investment in science and technology; researching and proposing mechanisms and policies to attract and retain highly skilled experts, both domestic and foreign, for Vietnam's science-technology and innovation; and speed up the formation and development of digital technology enterprises.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Training was required to implement concerted and effective measures and policies to encourage and promote the training of high-quality human resources for priority and emerging industries and sectors; research and develop policies to support investment in resources, and assign tasks for institutions that specialise in developing high-quality human resources.

Another important task is to develop a flexible and friendly visa policy, and expand and upgrade the issuance of e-visas.

The Government leader also requested the continued extension and reduction of taxes to facilitate business operations, promote the development of the private sector, and mobilise resources for investment and development.

The Ministry of Finance was urged to work with ministries, agencies, and localities to draft a Decree extending the deadline for the payment of value-added tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax, and land lease fees in 2025, as well as the deadline for the payment of special consumption tax on domestically produced and assembled cars, and submit them to the Government before March 15.

It was also tasked with researching and proposing the expansion of the tax reduction scope, including reducing value-added tax for the last six months of 2025 and for 2026, and report to the Government no later than March 15.

The PM suggested continuing to implement a decisive credit policy aimed at reducing the lending interest rate level; encouraging foreign banks to participate in the process of solving bad debts and restructuring poor-performing credit institutions, and boosting investment in Vietnam.

Regarding the promotion of social housing development, Chinh requested the Ministry of Construction to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to study and propose to the competent authorities to consider special mechanisms and policies for social housing development, allowing foreign enterprises and organisations to purchase or lease social housing for workers and employees, in accordance with his conclusions at a meeting on March 6 on the removal obstacles to social housing development./.