Apply special consumption tax on sugary soft drinks, when there is sufficient basis and reasonable roadmap

(Chinhphu.vn) - Amending the Law on Special Consumption Tax is necessary, but proposals to increase taxes and expand tax payers, such as in the case of sugary soft drinks, must be carefully considered.

The National Assembly discussed in the hall on the morning of May 9.

On May 9, the National Assembly discussed in the hall a number of contents with different opinions of the draft Law on Special Consumption Tax (amended).

The draft revised Law on Special Consumption Tax is one of 34 draft laws that will be considered and approved by the National Assembly at this session.

One of the new policy contents added in the Draft is "Expanding the tax base", which includes the regulation: "Adding sugary soft drinks according to Vietnamese Standards with sugar content over 5g/100ml to the special income tax subject" with a tax rate of 10% because this is a new item, with the purpose of protecting people's health...

After studying the documents related to the draft, especially the proposed explanatory part, many National Assembly deputies said that the drafting agency has not comprehensively assessed the impacts of applying these regulations.

Accordingly, the imposition of special consumption tax as in the Draft does not ensure the achievement of the goal of "preventing and reducing overweight and obesity", and is not effective in regulating consumer behavior. At the same time, it does not ensure the principle of fairness of tax policy.

On the other hand, the drafting agency has not yet explained the basis for the proposal to apply a 10% special consumption tax rate to sugary soft drinks.

According to National Assembly Delegate Pham Van Hoa ( Dong Thap Delegation), amending the Law on Special Consumption Tax is necessary, but proposals to increase taxes and expand tax payers, such as in the case of sugary soft drinks, must be carefully considered.

Delegate Hoa added that at the 8th Session and a number of seminars and discussions, there were many opinions that a comprehensive assessment was needed because according to the beverage industry's assessment, imposing taxes on sugary soft drinks is ineffective in the goal of preventing and reducing overweight and obesity.

"This does not ensure fairness, reasonableness, is incorrect, and inaccurate because soft drinks are not the main and only cause of overweight and obesity," Delegate Hoa shared.

National Assembly Representative Ta Van Ha ( Quang Nam Delegation) supports the search for a harmonious and fair solution, when to impose taxes, and what is the appropriate tax rate. There needs to be a fair and impartial view when building a special income tax.

"It is necessary to put many goals in perspective, especially the growth target in the current period," said Delegate Ta Van Ha.

As for National Assembly Delegate Hoang Van Cuong, member of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee, he is concerned that in the current context, we are looking for every way to stimulate domestic consumption, and are reducing taxes to support businesses. If we increase taxes and expand the subjects subject to special income tax on sugary soft drinks, businesses will face more difficulties and challenges that may affect solutions to stimulate domestic consumption.

Japan

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/ap-thue-tieu-thu-dac-biet-nuoc-giai-khat-co-duong-khi-da-co-du-co-so-lo-trinh-hop-ly-102250509145946528.htm