The Power of Words: Captivating Copywriting for Effective SEO The Rising Cost of Electricity: Gasoline’s Taxing Burden

Long Thanh International Airport: Awakening after Years of Slumber

On May 10th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the National Steering Committee for important national projects in the transport sector, chaired the committee’s 17th meeting.

According to consolidated reports from the Ministry of Construction and opinions expressed during the meeting, there are 37 projects under the committee’s supervision, including 35 road projects and 2 aviation projects, with a total investment of over VND 1 quadrillion.

Going forward, the authorities affirmed their determination to implement the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong railway project, ensuring the conditions to commence construction by the end of this year. Simultaneously, the cross-border railway connection with China will be resumed this May.

Also, by 2025, the goal is to complete 3,000 km of expressways, establish a continuous expressway from Cao Bang to Ca Mau, and finish 1,000 km of coastal roads.

The Prime Minister shared that on the occasion of the 80th National Day celebrations, the country will commence and inaugurate 80 major projects. So far, Vietnam has completed 2,268 km of expressways and aims to add another 800 km by the end of this year.

Notably, the Long Thanh International Airport has “awakened after years of slumber.” The airport’s connecting roads are being actively developed, and the Tan Son Nhat Airport’s Terminal 3 is now operational. The Prime Minister also instructed addressing the recent incident at Tan Son Nhat Airport’s Terminal 3 promptly.

Minister of Finance Explains Why Gasoline Bears Two Types of Taxes and Fees

At the end of the meeting on May 9, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang presented explanations regarding National Assembly deputies’ opinions on the draft Law on Special Consumption Tax (amended).

Concerning gasoline, Mr. Thang affirmed that this commodity has been taxed since 1998. Moreover, the Prime Minister committed at COP26 to net-zero emissions by 2050, a challenging pledge for Vietnam.

“European countries have been very determined in their implementation, while we, due to economic difficulties, have action programs that we are carrying out. Still, we must indeed strive and exert efforts. With such an environmental commitment, we cannot avoid imposing a special consumption tax on gasoline,” the Minister emphasized.

Some deputies expressed concern about gasoline bearing two types of taxes and fees. In response, Mr. Thang explained that most large and developed countries worldwide impose taxes and fees, albeit with different names.

The special consumption tax aims to regulate consumption behavior and increase state revenue, while the environmental protection fee creates a fund for environmental projects.

“Imposing both types of taxes and fees is consistent with Vietnam’s commitments at COP26 and the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Currently, even with these two taxes and fees, our rates are still much lower than in many other countries, especially in Europe, where taxes can reach VND 17,000-18,000 per liter of gasoline,” Mr. Thang elaborated.

Electricity Rates to Increase from May 10th

Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has announced a retail electricity price increase. Accordingly, the average retail electricity price applied from May 10th is 2,204.06 VND/kWh, a 4.8% increase.

For household customers: Tier 1: 0-50 kWh, the new rate is 1,974 VND/kWh

Tier 2: 51-100 kWh, the rate is 2,050 VND/kWh

Tier 3: 101-200 kWh, the rate is 2,380 VND/kWh

Tier 4: 201-300 kWh, the rate is 2,998 VND/kWh

Tier 5: 301-400 kWh, the rate is 3,350 VND/kWh

Tier 6: 401 kWh and above, the rate is 3,460 VND/kWh.

Since the beginning of 2023, EVN has increased electricity prices four times, by 3%, 4.5%, 4.8%, and 4.8%, respectively.

Two Groups of Officials Must Retire Before the End of the Organizational Restructuring Process

Official Letter 1814, guiding the implementation of Decree 178, amended and supplemented by Decree 67, on policies and regimes for cadres, civil servants, … during the organizational restructuring of the political system, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified the transitional provisions related to handling policies for redundant cadres, civil servants, and public employees.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, two groups of subjects are identified as having to retire before the end of the organizational restructuring timeline.

First

, the group of cadres and civil servants at the commune level who were redundant due to the administrative unit arrangement at the commune level in the 2019-2021 period but have not been handled.

Second

, the group of cadres, civil servants, public employees, and commune-level cadres who were redundant due to the arrangement of administrative units at the district and commune levels in the 2023-2025 period.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that, in the process of building policies and regimes for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and laborers in the process of rearranging the apparatus of the political system, the Ministry reported to the competent authorities to handle the remaining cases thoroughly; encourage subjects in the above redundant groups to retire before the end of the organizational arrangement timeline.