Samsung SEHC gets tax refund after 3 years of waiting

After three years of continuous petitioning, Samsung SEHC Company, operating in the electronics sector in Ho Chi Minh City, has finally been refunded more than VND582 billion in value added tax.

Mr. Kim Nyoun Ho, Chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (KoCham) - Photo: ITPC

This result was achieved when the Ministry of Finance and the Vietnamese tax authorities intervened and handled the situation promptly.

The authorities have handled the matter promptly.

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Kim Nyoun Ho, Chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (KoCham) said this positive development took place just a few days after the dialogue between Ho Chi Minh City leaders and the Korean business community at the end of March.

At the dialogue, Samsung SEHC representatives spoke about the financial difficulties caused by the long delay in tax refunds. At that time, despite working with authorities such as the General Department of Taxation, the General Department of Customs, and the Ministry of Finance many times, and sending three official petitions, the company was still not notified specifically about the tax refund time, causing the case to drag on for many years.

During the dialogue, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan requested relevant agencies to report to the Ministry of Finance and resolutely resolve the problem.

Mr. Hoan also informed the representative of Samsung SEHC that if by June, this issue is still not resolved or "the path is unclear, vague, not knowing whether it will be refunded or not, not knowing when it will end", the enterprise can send a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to jointly report to the Ministry of Finance to speed up the handling process.

Samsung SEHC has about 5,200 employees; specializes in manufacturing household electronic products such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

Last year, the company's revenue was about 4.9 billion USD (nearly 92% from exports) and is estimated to be 5.6 billion USD this year.

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Kim Nyoun Ho said that immediately after Samsung SEHC's reflection at the dialogue with Ho Chi Minh City leaders, the Ministry of Finance and the Vietnamese tax authority took 'urgent action'.

" The government announced that if businesses submit complete documents before March 28, tax refunds will be made within 5 working days. Samsung submitted the documents on time and now the entire VAT amount mentioned above has been fully refunded," said Mr. Kim Nyoun Ho.

At the same time, this representative said that for other recommendations raised at the meeting, most of them were issues related to mechanisms and policies such as taxes, licensing procedures, investment incentives, etc.

Therefore, there are still many limitations in the short-term solution. However, KoCham still maintains regular dialogue and close coordination with the Government and relevant agencies. Some contents have been reviewed and handled by relevant agencies at the implementation level.

Waiting for Korean school expansion in Ho Chi Minh City

Recently, KoCham has made recommendations to the Vietnamese Government and relevant ministries and agencies to speed up licensing procedures for the expansion of the Korean International School in Ho Chi Minh City.

He said that currently, the Korean International School in Ho Chi Minh City (Korean International School, HCMC) has about 2,100 students and more than 250 staff, teachers and employees at all levels from kindergarten, primary school, middle school to high school.

However, classroom overcrowding is a problem. Every year, about 200 students are placed on waiting lists. The average class size is currently 35 students per elementary school class and 32 students per middle school class, more than 10 students higher than the Koreaneducation standard.

KoCham Chairman said that a local unit supported the school by donating a 1-hectare plot of land near the school. However, due to the delay in granting permits for the expansion, the project has not yet been able to start.

If the expansion project is completed, the school can increase its enrollment to about 3,000 students. KoCham believes that this expansion is not only about upgrading educational facilities, but also plays an important role in ensuring educational stability for children of Korean families living in Vietnam. This is also an important factor contributing to improving long-term living and working conditions for Korean staff.

"The excessively prolonged administrative procedures may send a negative signal to the Korean community in Vietnam. KoCham hopes to continue receiving active cooperation and timely support from the Vietnamese Government to speed up the licensing process and soon resolve current obstacles," said Mr. Kim Nyoun Ho, Chairman of KoCham.

HONG PHUC

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/samsung-sehc-duoc-hoan-thue-sau-3-nam-cho-doi-20250621111753195.htm