Legal Document Updates in English (44/2013)

TO REDUCE EXPORT DUTY RATE ON SEVERAL COMMODITY ITEMS OF RUBBER

Circular No. 157/2013/TT-BTC of November 11, 2013, amending the export duty rates of the commodity item of rubber under Headings 40.01, 40.02 and 40.05 in the Export Tariff promulgated together with Circular No. 193/2012/TT-BTC of November 15, 2012 with tax reduction from 2% to 4% on several commodity item of rubber.
Concretely, the export duty rate for compounded rubber, unvulcanized, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strips; natural rubber latex, whether or not pre-vulcanized; latex crepes, natural rubber, balata, gutta-percha, guayule, chicle and similar natural gums, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strips will be reduced from 2%-3% to 1%.

Export duty rate for synthetic rubber and factice derived from oils, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strips; mixtures of any product of heading 40.01 with any product of this heading, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strips will be reduced from 5% to 1% (Reduced by 4% as compared with existing regulations).
For other rubber types of heading 40.01 and 40.02 alone, the export duty rate still remains at 0%.
This Circular takes effect on December 26, 2013.

TO ADD SUBJECTS ENTITLED TO BORROW LOANS FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE

On October 31, 2013, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular No. 18/2013/TT-BXD on amending and supplementing several articles of Circular No. 07/2013/TT-BXD which guides the definition of subjects entitled to borrow loans for housing assistance according to Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP dated January 7, 2013.
According to regulations in Circular No. 07/2013/TT-BXD, individuals and households will be entitled to borrow loans for housing assistance if they have not yet had any house owned by them, or they had house but it is too cramped (Their house is condominium apartment, but the average residential area of household is lower than 8m2/person; the average residential area of separate household is lower than 8m2/person and area of its land precinct is lower than land area licensed for construction in accordance with regulation of the provincial People’s Committees). Also in this Circular, they are entitled to borrow loans if they have no house but have dwelling land plots and have been granted certificate of land use right and area of such dwelling land plots is smaller than land area licensed for construction in

MECHANISM OF CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FOR JICA2 PROJECT

Circular No. 118/2013/TT-BTC of August 23, 2013, guiding the mechanism of financial management of ODA loans from the Japanese Government for the Project on Restoration and Sustainable Management of Protection Forests (JICA2 Project)
The JICA2 Project aimed at restoring and sustainably managing protection forest areas and improving livelihood for people in 11 provinces (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan) under Loan Agreement VN11-P9 signed between JICA and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on March 30, 2012 (Loan Agreement) and conformable with the investment project approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Decision No. 319/QD-BNN-HTQT of February 22, 2012.

TO REGULATE SUSPENDING TIME OF MEDICAL PRACTITIONER AND MEDICAL FACILITIES FROM PRACTICE FOR MAXIMUM 12 MONTHS

According to Circular No. 35/2013/TT-BYT dated October 30, 2013 of the Ministry of Health, when a medical facility commits medical errors or fails to satisfy one of the conditions prescribed in Article 43 of the Law on Medical examination and treatment; or when there is a lack of medical staffs suitable to their professional activities or lack of those who takes responsibility for technical skills of medical facility; or those who haven’t worked in medical facility for 36 months, part of or its entire practice shall be suspended.
The duration of practice suspension is written in the decision to suspend the medical facility from practice, depends on the nature and seriousness of the violations, the capacity for rectification of the medical facility, and shall not exceed 12 months.

TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT THROUGH WATERWAY NAVIGATION

On August 22, 2013, the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment promulgate Joint Circular No. 21/2013/TTLT- BGTVT-BTNMT on guiding the management of and environmental protection in inland waterway navigation activities.
Accordingly, inland waterway vehicles (below referred to as vehicles) and seagoing vessels operating in inland waterways must comply with regulations on environmental protection as follows: Vehicles must comply with current provisions of the national technical regulations on prevention of pollution caused by inland waterway vehicles; vehicles and seagoing vessels operating in inland waterways must have covering devices in order to prevent cargoes from dropping and dust from dispersing and causing environmental pollution; vehicles and seagoing vessels must not discharge wastes into inland waterways; vehicles and seagoing vessels must have plans to respond to oil and chemical pollution in accordance with current laws… Owners of vehicles and seagoing vessels must respond to oil, spills caused by their vehicles or seagoing vessels in accordance with current laws.

HAU GIANG: 100% OF COMMUNES TO REACH HEALTH CARE STANDARDS THROUGH 2020

Decision No. 1496/QD-TTg dated August 27, 2013 of the Prime Minister on approving the adjustment and supplement of the master plan on socio- economic development of Hau Giang province through 2020
In order to reach the objectives set through 2020: The average per-capita added value (at current prices) will reach VND 36.8 million by 2015 and VND 72 million by 2020; The annual export turnover will averagely increase 19.8% in the 2016-2020 period; the poverty rate will be reduced to some 15% by 2015 and below 10% by 2020; 100% of communes, wards and townships will reach the national standards on health and 100% of health stations will be staffed with physicians by 2020; the rate of people having access to clean water will reach 98% by 2020; 100% of industrial parks will be built with wastewater treatment systems up to the prescribed standards…. The Prime Minister set out several solutions to mobilize investment capital, to train and develop human resources as well as solutions to science and

SIX TYPES OF NECESSARY INFORMATION TO BE USED FOR NATIONAL CREDIT RATING

Decision No. 61/2013/QD-TTg dated October 25, 2013 of  the Prime Minister on providing information and coordinating to implement the national credit rating
Six types of necessary information used for national credit rating includes: General socio-economic information, Fiscal information, Banking and monetary information, Information on foreign economic relations, Political information, Other socio- economic information on the basis of proposal of credit rating organizations, consistent with regulations of law provision capacity of Vietnamese agencies and organizations concerned.

The provision of information and data for work of credit rating must ensure the following principles: Accuracy, completeness, updating and within the specified time limit; non-coincidence and non-overlapping, satisfaction of analysis and assessment requirements of credit rating organizations; consistency with current regulations on provision of information; consensus on rate, form, method of calculation and consistency with the data provided or publicly announced.
This Decision takes effect on December 15, 2013;