Vietnam Extends Personal Tax Returns Deadline

The Ministry of Finance has agreed to extend the deadline for taxpayers to complete processing and payment of 2009 personal income taxes to the end of July, or two months later than the initial due date of May 31.

 

This was the second time the ministry has extended the deadline for paying 2009 personal income taxes.

 

The first deadline, March 31, was moved back by two months in February to give taxpayers more time to become familiar with new declaration forms and regulations.

 

A large number of income tax filings were late this year, necessitating the extension, state media reported, citing the Head of General Department of Taxation Ngo Dinh Quang.

 

The department’s Personal Income Tax Unit estimated that only about 80% of individual and corporate income tax filers had submitted complete dossiers by May 31.

 

Quang said tax offices were also burdened by the large influx of last-minute filings. Online filing systems had also not been working properly, further increasing the administrative burden, he added.

 

Online tax filings at www.tncnonline.com.vn were first authorized under the Law on Personal Income Taxation last July, but the website has proven of limited value. Few taxpayers had used the website due to its lack of a solid verification system that would assure taxpayers that tax authorities had received their submission. (VNA)