Nowhere to hide for online sellers as taxman catches up
In this article (5)
Many individuals who have been earning thousands of dollars from Facebook, Google, YouTube, and other online platforms have been taxed in recent years, officials said.
The HCMC Tax Department for instance said at a forum Friday that it collected over VND8 billion ($342,759) each from two individuals last year and this year on their earnings from YouTube and TikTok.
In 2018 it collected VND4 billion from a man who earned VND41 billion from Google, it said.
It also found a person in Quang Nam Province earning nearly VND17 billion from Google and passed on his details to authorities there.
In 2017 it discovered a woman had sold cosmetics worth over VND499 billion through live streams between 2013 and 2016.
She had to pay over VND9 billion in taxes and fines.
An individual who supplied the goods to her had to pay over VND1.7 billion.
The Hanoi Tax Department said it has discovered at least 1,194 people with incomes from foreign entities like Google and Facebook and collected VND129.3 billion last year and VND134 billion in 2020 from them.
Last year it set up a database, which now has 32,084 online shops and 2,307 online property landlords, for collecting taxes.
There are 139 companies operating e-commerce platforms in Vietnam, and they record an average of 3.5 million visits a day, according to the General Department of Taxation.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which specific tax departments have been successful in collecting taxes from online earners recently?
Which specific tax departments have been successful in collecting taxes from online earners recently?
The HCMC Tax Department reported collecting significant amounts from individuals earning through YouTube, TikTok and Google. The Hanoi Tax Department also discovered many people with income from foreign entities, collecting substantial sums in recent years.
Q.What is the total amount the Hanoi Tax Department collected from individuals with foreign entity income in 2020 and last year?
What is the total amount the Hanoi Tax Department collected from individuals with foreign entity income in 2020 and last year?
The Hanoi Tax Department collected VND134 billion in 2020 and VND129.3 billion last year from individuals earning income through foreign platforms like Google and Facebook. This indicates a consistent effort to tax online earnings.
Q.How many online shops and property landlords are included in the new tax database established by the Hanoi Tax Department?
How many online shops and property landlords are included in the new tax database established by the Hanoi Tax Department?
Last year, the Hanoi Tax Department established a database which now contains details for 32,084 online shops. It also includes information for 2,307 online property landlords, aiding in tax collection efforts.
Q.Has the HCMC Tax Department identified any particularly high earners through online activities?
Has the HCMC Tax Department identified any particularly high earners through online activities?
Yes, the HCMC Tax Department collected over VND8 billion each from two individuals earning from YouTube and TikTok last year and this year. They also found a woman who sold cosmetics worth nearly VND500 billion, paying over VND9 billion in taxes.
Reader pulse
Will this tax crackdown make a difference?
17,997 votes so far