Helping people file their taxes honestly.

From August 1st, the practice of buying and selling real estate at two different prices and requiring real estate transactions to be conducted through bank accounts will no longer exist. (In the photo: Houses for sale in Thu Duc City - Photo: NGOC HIEN)

As a result, sellers are annoyed by having to pay high income taxes, buyers are shocked by the hefty registration fees, and tax officials seem surprised to encounter a "honest" house sale that accurately records the selling price.

That's understandable; declaring two prices for real estate transactions has become commonplace. Declaring two prices is a way to "lose out to the country and gain something for oneself."

Recently, the tax authorities have been trying to crack down on this bad practice, forcing people to pay the full amount of tax by making things difficult, returning tax returns for re-filing, and declaring the tax "correctly." It seems to be effective. People are wary, and even if they declare two different prices, the difference isn't too significant.

Now, once again, the spirit of "declaring accurately and completely" is reiterated in the Law on Real Estate Business (effective from August 1st), which stipulates that businesses involved in real estate must make payments using non-cash methods. Once transactions go through a bank, everything is crystal clear; there's no room for false declarations.

For individuals and small-scale businesses (as specifically regulated by the Government ), payment through banks is not mandatory, but tax evasion will be limited through the land price list issued annually (instead of every 5 years) as stipulated in the amended Land Law (effective from August 1st).

Following the established legal framework, the practice of declaring two different property prices to evade taxes will gradually cease for businesses, but individuals and small-scale business owners may not yet be in a hurry to declare the actual purchase and sale price.

It remains to be seen whether the land price list issued by the local authorities is accurate enough and convincing enough to persuade people to abandon the habit of declaring two prices to evade taxes.

The question is why, in the land and property tax declaration process, there is still no mechanism to encourage people to voluntarily declare their taxes.

While imposing taxes is a power of the State, it must also be done in a way that is fair and acceptable to the people, preventing them from falsifying even a single cent. Something is not quite right. That's right.

One reason is that the current method of calculating personal income tax at a fixed rate of 2% has long been considered unreasonable and imposed, yet the Ministry of Finance has not rushed to propose amendments. What exactly makes it unreasonable?

For example, the tax authorities require individuals and businesses to accurately and fully calculate all reasonable expenses so that profits are tax-exempt and losses are not. However, many homebuyers who meet these conditions, when selling their homes, even if they incur a loss, still have to pay the full 2% tax.

There's a reason why the tax authorities persist with this "lump-sum" tax collection method: it's difficult to manage input and output costs when people declare them, so they just "cut" a section and apply a 2% tax rate outright for convenience.

But things are different now; people are paying through banks, with clear documentation, yet their expenses are still not accepted as legitimate and valid.

Instead of amending regulations to rectify the situation when double pricing has become commonplace, this place has resorted to the tactic of returning tax declarations and requiring them to resubmit. This sounds like a deliberate attempt to appease taxpayers and gives the impression of a lack of fairness.

When filing taxes, you are responsible for the content of your declaration; re-filing is considered amending a declaration. The tax return form clearly states, "I certify that the information declared is true and I am legally responsible for its accuracy!"

The increasingly完善 regulations governing real estate business are gaining public support.

Is it possible that tax authorities for individuals and small-scale real estate businesses are left uninvolved, and that the tax department is content with simply forcing people to resubmit their tax returns to ensure accuracy and completeness?!

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giup-dan-that-tha-khai-thue-20240714090651687.htm