Tax authorities have started to tax people selling online, but have not been able to fully determine their revenues, Ta Thi Phuong Lan, deputy head of the department of tax administration for small and medium enterprises and individuals, told VnExpress.
By working directly with e-commerce websites and delivery companies, tax authorities would be better able to identify sellers’ revenue streams, she said.
Tax officials have admitted the taxation regime is unfair to traditional sellers who also have to pay overheads.
Taxing sellers through e-commerce platforms would also help prevent the sales of contraband and fake goods, they said.
The e-commerce boom in recent years and social restrictions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic have induced many to sell products and services on social media and e-commerce platforms.
Vietnam’s e-commerce market expanded by 18 percent last year to $11.8 billion, the only country in Southeast Asia to record double-digit growth amid the pandemic, according to the Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency.