Tax and Finance Newsletter – February 2026

ACAC – Tax and Finance Newsletter, February 2026

Business License Fee Officially Abolished from 2026, as 14 Tax Administrative Procedures Are Repealed

At Anh Consulting and Auditing Co., Ltd. (ACAC), we place strong emphasis on keeping pace with regulatory developments and providing accurate professional knowledge to help businesses make effective financial decisions, remain compliant, and adapt flexibly in a changing policy environment.

February 2026 brought welcome procedural news for the business community: the business license fee was officially abolished from 2026, together with the repeal of 14 other tax administrative procedures. In addition, the tax authority further clarified a number of issues concerning VAT on goods passing through bonded warehouses and the tax obligations of foreign suppliers operating digital platforms in Vietnam. ACAC’s February 2026 newsletter summarizes the most notable updates to help enterprises stay informed and adjust accordingly in a timely manner.

Tax Policy Guidance and Updates

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Under Official Letter No. 873/CT-CS (5 February 2026), the condition for applying the 0% VAT rate to exported goods is that the goods must be sold to an organization or individual overseas and consumed outside Vietnam. Where a domestic enterprise enters into a sales contract with an overseas trader but delivers the goods at a bonded warehouse, and it is not yet established whether the goods will be consumed outside Vietnam, there is as yet no basis for applying the 0% rate — enterprises with transactions involving a bonded warehouse should take care to collect sufficient documentation evidencing the condition of consumption outside Vietnam before declaring this preferential rate.

Corporate Income Tax (CIT) — Tax Obligations of Foreign Suppliers on Digital Platforms

The Tax Department has provided guidance on a representative case concerning tax obligations where a domestic enterprise authorizes a foreign technology platform to collect service fees on its behalf from customers in Vietnam. The general principle established is as follows: where a Vietnamese enterprise authorizes a third party to collect service fees on its behalf, the entire amount so collected is still recognized as the revenue of the Vietnamese enterprise, which must issue invoices and fully declare and pay VAT and CIT on that amount. At the same time, the fee paid to the foreign collecting party — provided it is supported by valid invoices and documentation and relates to production or business activities — is included as a deductible expense when determining CIT taxable income. As for a foreign supplier without a permanent establishment in Vietnam that earns income from collection activities or from providing services via a digital platform, the supplier must declare tax directly through the General Department of Taxation’s electronic portal, under the method of a percentage applied to revenue: VAT at 10% and CIT at 5% of the revenue arising in Vietnam for services (10% specifically for restaurant, hotel, and casino management services).

Personal Income Tax (PIT)

Under Official Letter No. 1001/CT-CS (11 February 2026), an individual who is required to self-finalize PIT but did not claim the personal deduction for a dependant in the year in which the duty of care arose may still claim the deduction, from the month in which the duty of care arose, when carrying out the finalization and registering the personal deduction for that dependant — including where the finalization is carried out for prior years. Taxpayers should ensure that the information registered for a dependant matches the dossiers and documentation already submitted to the tax authority, in order to avoid difficulties when a refund dossier is reviewed.

Business License Fee Officially Abolished and 14 Tax Administrative Procedures Repealed

Under Official Letter No. 645/CT-CS (23 January 2026), from 1 January 2026 taxpayers are no longer required to pay the business license fee for 2026 and subsequent years, and are likewise no longer required to file a business license fee declaration from 2026 onward. However, the tax authority will still review and apply management measures to collect, correctly and in full, any business license fee arising for 2025 and earlier years. This is a positive change that relieves enterprises and business households of a recurring annual administrative task. In parallel, on 3 February 2026 the Ministry of Finance issued Decision No. 216/QD-BTC repealing 14 administrative procedures in the field of tax administration, effective from 14 February 2026, including: registration of a dependant for the personal deduction (now integrated into the tax declaration process), declaration of additional monthly VAT/PIT compared to amounts already declared quarterly, exemption/reduction of non-agricultural land use tax, annual and ad hoc APA reporting, together with a number of procedures specific to the oil and gas sector. This reduction forms part of the broader effort to simplify tax administrative procedures and reduce the compliance burden on taxpayers.

Other Matters

Vietnam Social Security issued Official Letter No. 340/BHXH-CSXH announcing the adjustment factor for wages and monthly income on which social insurance (SI) contributions were based, applicable for 2026, to serve as the basis for processing and adjusting SI benefit levels. The factor is calculated based on the average consumer price index, at its highest for years of SI contribution prior to 1995 and decreasing progressively over time, with a factor of 1.00 applied for 2025 and 2026 specifically. Enterprises responsible for HR and payroll should refer to the detailed factor table when assisting employees with procedures for claiming SI benefits.

Transparency – Updates – Partnership

Through its monthly newsletter, ACAC aims not only to deliver authoritative information but also to help enterprises understand the practical impact of policy changes, enabling them to proactively adjust their financial strategies and risk management.

We believe that transparency, professional rigor, and timely updates form the foundation for the sustainable growth of Vietnam’s business community in this era of global integration.

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