The National Assembly passed the new Value Added Tax (VAT) Law with 407 out of 451 participating deputies voting in favor, achieving an approval rate of 84.97%.
Under the new Value Added Tax Law, cultural activities, exhibitions, physical education, sports , art performances, film production, film import, distribution, and screening are subject to a 10% tax rate. This law will come into effect on July 1, 2025.
Sharing his thoughts on the National Assembly's approval of the Value Added Tax Law, which applies a 10% tax rate to the cultural sector, Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the Committee on Culture and Education , emphasized: "We always talk about the best things in culture. But we don't necessarily dedicate all the best things to culture."
Delegates press the button to approve the draft law. (Photo: Nhu Y)
According to him, in the context of Vietnam's significant cultural import surplus, the Vietnamese film industry is still weak, and foreign films are overshadowing Vietnamese films, dominating the tastes and spirit of Vietnamese people. What needs to be done is to revitalize this field to contribute to conveying important messages about history and human love.
Previously, these activities were subject to a 5% tax rate. Even during the parliamentary discussions on the amended Value Added Tax Law, many delegates voiced their disagreement with this proposal.
Some delegates argued that despite efforts and achievements, one cannot be "naively optimistic" about the country's cultural development. Furthermore, one cannot look at the hundreds of billions of dong in revenue of a few films and assume that the entire Vietnamese film industry is bright.
The petition bears numerous seals and signatures from businesses in the film industry.
This increase in value-added tax shows that the preferential treatment for the industry has disappeared, and the culture has been left to drift aimlessly.
"Private organizations like ours would soon be shut down without state support. Private businesses rely on their own money; if the costs aren't sufficient, no matter how passionate about the profession, they can't continue. Without support, the arts and culture sector might cease to exist," People's Artist Tran Luc once shared with Tien Phong newspaper.
A number of business representatives operating in the Vietnamese film industry, such as BHD Vietnam, CJ CGV Vietnam, Lotte Cinema Vietnam, Thien Ngan Film Joint Stock Company, Mega GS, HK Film, ABC Pictures, Chanh Phuong Film, and many renowned directors and producers like Charlie Nguyen, Nguyen Quang Dung, Nhat Trung, Ham Tran, Hoang Quan, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, etc., have agreed and signed a document sent to the Government and the National Assembly proposing adjustments to the value-added tax (VAT) rate in the Draft Value-Added Tax Law.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/danh-thue-vat-10-voi-linh-vuc-van-hoa-tu-nam-2025-ar909814.html
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