The woes of 'phantom businesses'

TP - Citizens are having their information stolen by unknown individuals, who then establish businesses, accumulate tax arrears, and subsequently ban them from leaving the country. Meanwhile, tax authorities have introduced a series of solutions to prevent "ghost businesses," such as: cleaning up tax identification numbers for household businesses and enterprises; and requiring biometrics when registering for electronic invoices.

Suddenly becoming a director

When tax authorities impose a travel ban on individuals with tax debts, many are shocked to suddenly find themselves in the position of business director, burdened with tax debts. Mr. NBH ( An Giang province ) stated that in early May, he received a travel ban notice due to tax debts owed by four entities (including: Minh Khang Trading and Business Co., Ltd., HV Investment Co., Ltd., Van Thanh Business Co., Ltd., Lan Tran Agricultural Products Import-Export Co., Ltd., and the NBH household business).

Tax officials guide business owners in updating their tax information (Illustrative image)

“Up until now, I’ve only ever worked for a salary and have never been listed as the owner or representative of any company, unit, or legal entity. Since the beginning of 2026, I quit my job, registered a business, and discovered that I was listed as the representative of several companies, but I just thought it was a coincidence. I live in An Giang and called the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department – ​​where these ‘ghost’ companies are located – to inquire. I was told to go to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment (now the Department of Finance) to retrieve the company registration records, and then go to the police,” Mr. H recounted.

According to the Ministry of Finance , approximately 963,500 tax-paying organizations nationwide are inactive at their registered addresses and owe taxes (including 325,500 businesses and 638,000 household businesses).

After receiving the information, Mr. H was confused and didn't know how to handle it. He worried that if this "phantom" company was located in Lang Son or Hanoi , it would be very difficult. Mr. H hoped that the tax authorities would find a solution so that those whose information had been used to create fake companies could quickly complete the procedures, instead of having to struggle to prove their identity.

Speaking to a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Duc Huy, Deputy Head of the Tax Operations Department (Tax Department), said that the tax authorities are aware of this case. According to Mr. Huy, based on the legal regulations on business registration, the tax authorities have coordinated with, guided, and supported the taxpayer and the business registration agency in determining the actual reasons for the establishment of the business. At the same time, the tax authorities are also coordinating with the business registration agency and the police to verify the details of the case.

"Once authorities determine that a case of identity theft or forgery has occurred, the tax agency will issue a notice canceling the temporary travel ban. Tax obligations related to the businesses involved will also be removed from the individual whose information was stolen," Mr. Huy said.

A representative from the tax authority stated that Mr. NBH needs to contact the business registration agency – the unit that issued the business registration certificate. This agency will coordinate with the local authorities and the police to handle the case.

"After the relevant agencies have processed the matter, the tax authorities will immediately fulfill their obligations. However, verification is necessary because some cases are fraudulent while others are not, so the authorities need to clarify the situation," Mr. Huy said.

Biometrics are required when registering for invoices.

For many years, some businesses and household businesses have taken advantage of the laxness in the law to establish businesses in a superficial manner, even engaging in the buying and selling of invoices. Tien Phong newspaper has investigated businesses advertising the sale of invoices online. However, upon visiting the registered address, the business did not exist.

According to data from the Ministry of Finance, there are approximately 963,500 organizations nationwide that are inactive at their registered addresses and owe taxes (including 325,500 businesses and 638,000 household businesses). In response to this situation, the Tax Department is implementing a campaign to clean up tax identification numbers to standardize and reduce the number of taxpayers who are inactive but have not completed the necessary procedures (terminating their tax identification numbers and not operating at their registered addresses).

“The tax authorities will promptly monitor and detect cases of businesses not operating at their registered addresses; fully implement professional measures to guide businesses in updating their business addresses and completing dissolution or termination procedures. For files showing signs of risk, invoice trading, or tax law violations, the tax department will review and consolidate the files to transfer them to the police for investigation as prescribed,” a representative from the Tax Department stated.

Accordingly, at least 80% of taxpayers will be reviewed to update information on their legal representatives, contact information, and related data for management purposes; 100% of existing records in the tax management system will be reviewed and their actual status re-determined to address the issue of "virtual" pending records.

Furthermore, the tax authorities require businesses, organizations, household businesses, and individual business owners using electronic invoices to register biometric data. The legal representative must have a level 2 electronic identification account on VNeID, and must have installed and used the eTax Mobile application. The information about the legal representative in the tax registration data of the tax authorities must match the individual's identification information in the National Population Database.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ganh-hoa-tu-doanh-nghiep-ma-post1846233.tpo