Vietnam plans cuts in fuel taxes as inflation rises

VIETNAM’S finance ministry on Friday (Sep 23) said it is proposing to the legislature cutting the special consumption tax and value-added tax on fuels to keep inflation under 4 per cent this year.

The move will follow this week’s decision by the central bank to raise policy rates and several previous cuts in taxes on fuels since March, including the environment tax and Most Favoured Nation tariff.

The finance ministry is proposing 2 scenarios for the cuts - a 50 per cent cut in special consumption tax and a 20 per cent cut in value-added tax or a 50 per cent cut in both the taxes, it said in a statement.

According to the ministry, tax collection would be reduced by 7.4-12.2 trillion dong (S$440-S$730 million), with the average consumer price index 0.1 per cent-0.15 per cent lower if the new tax rates are in place for 6 months from November.

Vietnam, a regional manufacturing hub, reported gross domestic product growth of 7.72 per cent in the second quarter this year, but like many of its neighbours is facing mounting inflationary pressure as prices of food and energy rise across the world. REUTERS