Supporting cash flow and production

A tax reduction lets businesses keep more of their money, while a tax deferral gives them more time to pay. However, for this support to help production and business, businesses also need clear procedures, consistent guidance and easy access to policies. These requirements matter all the more as financial support measures continue through the final months of the year.

Support measures are being rolled out on several fronts: tax exemptions, reductions and deferrals to ease financial pressures; administrative reforms to save time and reduce compliance costs; and accelerated public investment to support aggregate demand and build infrastructure for production and the movement of goods.

Deputy Minister of Finance Cao Anh Tuan said the ministry was focusing on improving policies, reforming administrative procedures and modernising management, putting people and businesses first, to reduce compliance costs and facilitate production and business.

According to the Ministry of Finance, in the first eight months of 2026, about 158.2 trillion VND in taxes and fees was exempted or reduced, while about 51 trillion VND in tax payments was deferred. The two forms of support serve different purposes: exemptions and reductions lower tax liabilities, while deferrals delay the date payments fall due, giving taxpayers greater flexibility in managing cash flow.

Income tax reductions continue to ease the burden on small businesses. A resolution adopted by the National Assembly in August provides a 30% reduction in personal income tax payable for the 2026 and 2027 tax periods on business income earned by resident individuals with annual revenue of up to 10 billion VND.

Enterprises and organisations established under Vietnamese law with annual revenue of up to 10 billion VND are also eligible for a 30% cut in corporate income tax for the same two tax periods, subject to the conditions set out in the resolution

For those already receiving tax incentives, the reduction is applied to the tax payable after those incentives have been deducted.

For household businesses and individual business operators, the government has raised to 1 billion VND the annual revenue threshold below which personal income tax and value-added tax (VAT) are not payable.

Cash-flow support also involves keeping input costs under control. On September 30, the government issued a resolution extending to the end of 2026 the preferential import duty, environmental protection tax and VAT policies applicable to certain petrol, oil and other fuels.

According to the Ministry of Finance, extending these policies will help safeguard energy security, maintain macroeconomic stability, support production and business, and diversify import sources. For businesses, the measure is significant because it lowers the tax burden built into fuel costs.

Removing bottlenecks in procedures and projects

Reducing financial burdens must go hand in hand with shorter processing times. When applications take too long to process or regulations are applied inconsistently, businesses find it hard to plan payments and deliveries. The quality of policy implementation therefore directly affects business costs.

Dau Anh Tuan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said businesses were increasingly concerned about the certainty of their tax and customs obligations. He said obstacles also arose from inconsistent interpretation and application of regulations across agencies, localities and policy areas.

The government has required each petition from businesses to be assigned to a lead agency and coordinating agencies, with clearly defined outputs and deadlines.

This approach assigns responsibility for resolving each issue to a specific agency. Petitions need to be clearly categorised: those that can be addressed under existing regulations; those requiring consistent guidance; and those needing amendments to legal documents.

Responses that clearly cite the applicable legal grounds and name the responsible agency help businesses understand where their applications are held up and what additional documents are required.

Digital transformation is making it easier for taxpayers to meet their obligations online. According to figures from the Tax Department, in the first eight months of 2026, the eTax Mobile app registered more than 5.1 million new accounts and processed over 7.8 million electronic tax payments, worth nearly 20.1 trillion VND in state budget revenue.

As use of the app expands, the Tax Department plans to upgrade its interface and introduce a pre-filled tax return function in the fourth quarter to simplify procedures for taxpayers.

Alongside the digitalisation of transactions, efforts are being made to clear backlogs of data and applications. According to the Tax Department, the tax identification numbers of nearly 95,000 enterprises and organisations were deactivated in the eight-month period, nearly 72,000 of them in cases involving applications submitted in 2025 or earlier.

In the customs sector, the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Customs, adopted by the National Assembly on August 23, points towards greater data sharing through the National Single Window, with no need to resubmit paper copies when the relevant data has already been shared. Improved procedures for handling system outages have also been set out to facilitate customs clearance.

Public investment is another way to unlock resources. According to the Ministry of Finance, as of September 30, disbursement of public investment capital under the 2026 plan had reached 62.9% of the target assigned by the Prime Minister.

However, disbursement stood at only 44.1% for central government budget capital, compared with 73.6% for local government budget capital. This gap shows the need to tackle bottlenecks source by source and project by project.

The Ministry of Finance has called for disbursement to be tied to work actually completed, with contractors urged to complete construction so that works can be inspected and accepted, payments made and advance payments recovered in accordance with regulations.

For businesses working on projects, construction and payment schedules directly affect their ability to turn their capital over. Resolving obstacles in site clearance, construction materials and project execution is therefore as important as allocating funds.

State budget resources deliver their intended benefits only when they are converted into completed works and infrastructure that can be put into use.

Financial measures to support businesses are being implemented at the same time through tax exemptions, reductions and deferrals; administrative reforms; digital transformation; and accelerated public investment.

These forms of support address practical challenges in business operations, including cash-flow management, cost reduction and access to production and investment opportunities.