Prosecution of tax evasion and smuggling in e-commerce business

The Investigation Police Agency and the Provincial Police initiated a case and prosecuted the defendant LTAT.

Failure to pay taxes as required

Recently, the Investigation Police Agency (Department PC03), Provincial Police has initiated a case and prosecuted LTAT (born in 1992, residing in Ward 2, Vung Tau City) for the acts of "Tax evasion" and "Smuggling".

This is the result of close coordination between the Vung Tau - Con Dao Inter-District Tax Team and the Provincial Police's professional units in reviewing, providing relevant information and documents to investigate and handle tax violations in the online business environment.

According to the authorities, from 2023 to May 2025, Ms. LTAT operated a business of importing goods from Thailand through many sales accounts on e-commerce platforms and social networks such as Facebook, TikTok, etc. without legally registering a business. All business activities were conducted under an individual name, without declaration or payment of taxes as prescribed.

Through initial investigation, the authorities determined that Ms. T. had earned more than VND27 billion in revenue from online sales. However, she did not fulfill any tax declaration or payment obligations to the State. The amount of tax evasion was more than VND400 million. This behavior caused damage to the State budget, at the same time affected the competitive environment, and set a bad precedent in business activities in the digital environment.

The investigation agency has decided to prosecute the case and prosecute Ms. LTAT for two crimes: “Smuggling” and “Tax evasion”. The case is currently being further investigated to clarify the role of related subjects, the origin of the goods as well as all of Ms. T.’s revenue generated on other social networking platforms.

Promote propaganda and guide people to fulfill tax obligations

In the context of e-commerce booming thanks to the strong development of information technology and digital platforms, the tax sector and local authorities are actively implementing control measures, propaganda, and guiding people to fulfill their tax obligations.

Ms. Hoang Ngoc Phi, Head of the Vung Tau - Con Dao Inter-District Tax Team, said that the unit has stepped up the dissemination of tax policies, answered questions for individuals and organizations doing business online, creating favorable conditions for people to comply with legal regulations. However, there are still many cases of intentional violations, tax evasion, hiding revenue or using tricks to avoid inspection and supervision by authorities.

Currently, the Tax Department of Region XV is actively conducting a peak period of inspection and handling of smuggling, trade fraud, and violations of tax laws. The subordinate Tax Teams are required to closely coordinate with the police force, especially in reviewing cases with unusual signs in electronic transactions, in order to promptly detect and strictly handle violations.

The goal of this peak period is not only to ensure revenue for the State budget but also to contribute to creating a transparent and fair business environment, encouraging the healthy development of the digital economy .

Article and photos: NGOC HA

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202505/khoi-to-vu-tron-thue-va-buon-lau-trong-kinh-doanh-thuong-mai-dien-tu-1043452/