Deputy Trần Khánh Thu of Thái Bình Province during a speech at a National Assembly meeting in Hà Nội. Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI The National Assembly (NA) discussed amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Securities, the Law on Accounting, the Law on Independent Auditing, the Law on State Budget, the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets, the Law on Tax Management and the Law on National Reserves yesterday in Hà Nội.

Lawmakers said the objective is to complete the legal framework in the areas of securities, accounting, auditing, the State budget, public asset management, tax management and national reserves, creating a comprehensive legal framework.

The amended laws aim to promote growth, control inflation and ensure macroeconomic stability. The Government said the laws also play an important role in solving difficulties faced by the business community, pushing decentralisation and administrative reforms while improving Việt Nam’s business environment.

Deputy Trần Khánh Thu of Thái Bình Province recommended that the Government conduct a thorough review and clearly clarify the roles of the central and local authorities in managing public assets and services to eliminate overlap and ambiguity.

Delegates were asked to consider healthcare, for example. Thu said many public health service providers have not been able to count costs, including depreciation, in their prices. As a result, providers often had to charge below cost for their services, which hurt their ability to operate and grow.

Đinh Thị Phương Lan, NA deputy of Quảng Ngãi Province said the Government should carefully review the current Law on State Budget before issuing new decrees to avoid unintended consequences in financial and budgetary management, as well as risks associated with implementing policies within an inconsistent framework. She advised the Government to optimise local and non-state resources and allow local governments greater autonomy in budget management.

Deputy Thái Thị An Chung of Nghệ An Province and deputy Bùi Thị Quỳnh Thơ from Hà Tĩnh Province said the law should make it mandatory for major businesses to undergo rigid financial audits, especially unlisted property businesses.

On amendments to the Law on Tax Management, Deputy Dương Văn Phước of Quảng Nam Province said that under the current law, the tax authority still lacks strong measures in their arsenal to recover tax debts. He said the tax authority should be able to independently enforce collection instead of having to cooperate with other governmental agencies.

Responding to NA deputies’ concerns, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Hồ Đức Phớc said the Government said all opinions and feedback by deputies are to be collected and, when applicable, incorporated into the country’s legal framework.

Regarding the Law on State Budget, he said that short-term amendments would address current issues, while in the long-term, the law should be amended to enhance both the central and local authorities’ budget autonomy. For example, the amendments to the Law on State Budget and Public Investment Law have been carefully reviewed to ensure consistency and feasibility. VNS