Do not put gold, money, derivative products... into national reserves

The National Assembly discussed in the Hall the Draft Law on National Reserves (amended) on the morning of November 26.

Do not put the issue of "reserving money and gold" into national reserves.

This morning (November 26), the National Assembly discussed in the Hall the Draft Law on National Reserves (amended).

Previously, in the report on acceptance and explanation of the discussion group, the Ministry of Finance said that regarding the scope of regulation and subjects of application, some opinions said that the draft law has not mentioned the issue of reserves of money, gold or minerals, high technology managed by the State. There were opinions suggesting that it is necessary to stipulate the scope of application including energy reserves, including strategic reserves of derivative products and secondary products. At the same time, there were opinions suggesting adding investment activities and operational activities to the scope of regulation, in line with the regulations related to energy reserves in Resolution No. 70-NQ/TW dated August 20, 2025 of the Politburo on ensuring national energy security until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Finance affirmed that, on the basis of inheriting the contents on the scope and subjects of the 2012 Law on National Reserves and specifying the policies and guidelines of the Party and State, the Draft Law on National Reserves (amended) has absorbed and perfected the scope of regulation and subjects of application to ensure implementation according to the objectives of national reserves and to cover and unify with the contents of the Draft Law.

Therefore, the Government has drafted a Law dossier to report to the National Assembly on the scope of regulation in the direction of not specifying in detail specific contents such as energy, mineral and high-tech reserves; at the same time, the Draft Law does not raise the issue of "money and gold reserves" and "investment activities and operations of energy reserves", these contents are implemented according to the provisions of relevant current laws.

Diversify national reserves to reduce pressure on the budget

At the previous group discussion session, many National Assembly delegates proposed to add more practical and strong incentive and support policies, such as tax incentives (reduction of corporate income tax, deduction of investment costs) or credit incentives (loan guarantee mechanism) to help businesses participate more deeply, especially for high-value items, long storage time and high risk of obsolescence such as high-tech products. At the same time, delegates also recommended building a policy structure towards national reserves including strategic reserves and reserves of ministries, branches and localities to create a clear legal corridor, avoiding putting pressure on the budget...

Regarding this proposal, the drafting agency said that the Draft Law has stipulated that "in each period, the Government shall specify State policies on national reserves". Therefore, when the Government issues a Decree guiding the Law, it will specifically stipulate reserves of ministries, branches, localities, and enterprises participating more deeply, as well as stipulate reserve situations for emergency response, creating a legal corridor and reducing pressure on the State budget.

Specifically, Article 4 stipulates: "Issuing specific mechanisms and policies to implement national reserves and encouraging organizations and enterprises to participate in national reserves"; "The State has policies to mobilize resources, encourage and create conditions for organizations and individuals to participate in national reserve activities".

Article 31 stipulates: “Diversify forms and mobilize legal resources of organizations and enterprises for strategic reserve activities; organizations, enterprises and components participating in strategic reserves are given preferential tax policies, credit policies and other preferential policies according to Government regulations to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the State and components participating in strategic reserves”.

Regarding the proposal to add regulations on voluntary contributions in cash (other than goods), Clause 3, Article 22 of the draft Law stipulates: “Based on the budget approved by competent authorities and the plan to balance financial resources from the sale of national reserve goods and other legal sources, the Minister of Finance shall decide on the annual national reserve plan for ministries and ministerial-level agencies managing national reserve goods to implement”. Thus, when individuals and organizations contribute in cash, the national reserve management agency will use it to form, import, and purchase national reserve goods and strategic reserve goods according to regulations.

The Government will specify criteria for strategic reserve goods.

Regarding strategic reserves, in the previous group discussion, there were opinions suggesting to narrow down and standardize the criteria for determining strategic reserves, only selecting items that are directly related to national security, economic security, energy security, and food security. There were also opinions suggesting to continue reviewing the criteria for strategic reserves, and there were opinions suggesting to publicize the list of national reserves (except for security and defense secrets)...

Regarding this content, the Ministry of Finance said that the Draft Law defines criteria for strategic reserves, including the goal of serving security, national defense and being a tool for market regulation. Therefore, the Draft Law stipulates criteria for the Government to provide specific guidance, meeting the requirements of sustainable socio-economic development. Specifying the goods in the Law, building specific quantitative criteria and clarifying and classifying national reserves will make it difficult to be flexible in implementation. When adjustments and supplements are needed to meet the requirements of the economy and market, the Law must be adjusted.

The Draft Law has assigned the Government to promulgate a list of national reserve goods and strategic reserve goods, and ministries and branches to specify detailed items to ensure specific quantitative criteria in practice, ensure feasibility and coverage of strategic items, and meet the requirements of digital transformation, energy security and food security.

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