Vietnam continues its efforts to collect tax from retailers using social networks

The Tax Department of Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam will continue its efforts to collect tax from retailers using social networks to sell their products. In 2017, the agency contacted more than 14,500 online retailers, including those using Facebook accounts, demanding payment of tax for businesses operating on the social network. According to tax officials, account holders have tried to evade taxes by increasing cash transactions, setting up multiple sales pages, changing locations and refusing to accurately declare sales or disclose sales prices. Many holders of Facebook accounts do not want to declare or pay taxes since online trading is seen as a part-time or seasonal job, which would be tax-free under the current regulation.