Personal Income Tax Rate for Foreigners in Vietnam

Individual income tax is levied on the salary income of foreigners and Vietnamese employed by foreign companies or cooperative projects, as well as on non-recurring income. Vietnam has a categorized system of personal income tax, which applies various tax rates to monthly recurring income, monthly non-recurring income or income from other sources. 1. Exemptions

(1) Travel expenses;

(2) Social insurance premiums, retirement annuities;

(3) Allowances for work in remote areas;

(4) Allowances for work of a mobile, hazardous or harmful nature;

(5) Bonuses for inventions or technological innovations;

(6) Profits of small businessmen who are subject to the profit tax.

2. Excessive progressive tax rates for Vietnamese

Average monthly income up to VND650,000 is exempted from tax; from VND650,000 to VND1.3 million, the tax rate is 10%; from VND1.3 million to VND1.9 million, the tax rate is 20%; from VND1.9 million to VND2.9 million, the tax rate is 30%; from VND2.9 million to VND4.4 million, the tax rate is 40%; from VND4.4 million to VND6.3 million, the tax rate is 30%; from VND4.4 million to VND6.3 million, the tax rate is 40%; from VND4.4 million to VND6.3 million, the tax rate is 40%. From VND4.4 million to VND6.3 million, the tax rate is 50 percent; above VND6.3 million, the tax rate is 80 percent.

3. Applicable tax rates for foreign nationals

Average monthly income of up to VND3 million is exempted from tax; from VND3 million to VND9 million, the tax rate is 10%; from VND9 million to VND21 million, the tax rate is 20%; from VND21 million to VND42 million, the tax rate is 30%; from VND42 million to VND60 million, the rate is 40%; from VND60 million and above, the tax rate is 80%. Above VND60 million, the tax rate is 50%.

4. Excessively progressive tax rate on non-monthly recurring income

Up to VND1.8 million, the tax rate is zero; from VND1.8 million to VND3.8 million, the tax rate is 5%; from VND3.8 million to VND9.5 million, the tax rate is 10%; from VND9.5 million to VND19 million, the tax rate is 15%; from VND19 million to VND28 million, the rate is 20%; above VND28 million, the tax rate is 20%; above VND28 million, the rate is 50%. Above VND28 million, the tax rate is 30%.

5. Other provisions

(1) The tax rate is 10 percent on the income from winning a lottery over VND12.5 million;

(2) The tax rate is 5 percent on the income from technology transfer over VND1.8 million.

2. Profit tax

1. The tax rate of 10 per cent shall be applied to cooperative and wholly foreign-owned enterprises engaging in the following types of projects:

(1) exploitative forest plantations;

(2) construction of national infrastructure, including transportation facilities, electric power production and supply facilities, construction of communication facilities in export-processing zones, centralized industrial zones, mountainous areas and underdeveloped areas;

(3) construction of telecommunications facilities in the country's industrial estates; and

(4) construction of a new industrial estate in the region, which is to be built on the land of the People's Republic of China (PRC). (3) Construction of communication facilities in export processing zones, centralized industrial zones, mountainous areas and underdeveloped regions;

(3) Special projects that are periodically announced by the State Committee for Cooperation and Investment.

2. Various types of investments subject to 15% tax rate:

(1) Natural resources development;

(2) Investments in underdeveloped areas;

(3) Long-term forest plantation for commercial purposes;

(4) Investment projects in which the foreign party transfers the equipment to the Vietnamese party at no cost at the termination of the contract;

(5) Investments in heavy industry projects, including fertilizer production, metal smelting, machinery manufacturing, cement production, electrical machinery, and so on. Manufacturing, cement production, electrical machinery manufacturing, medical equipment production, basic chemical varieties;

(6) Infrastructure investment in areas where the 10% tax rate does not apply.

3. The 20% tax rate applies to investment projects that meet the following two conditions:

(1) at least 80% of the products are exported;

(2) the agreed or actual capital utilized is at least US$10 million;

(3) at least 500 Vietnamese employees are employed;

(4) projects that meet the advanced technologies listed in the fourth paragraph of the Law on Technology Transfer.

4. Items subject to the 25% tax rate:

Finance, insurance, consulting, accounting, auditing, commerce, hotels and other service industries.

5. Projects subject to a tax rate of 25% or more:

Oil and gas exploration, development, smelting, and the development of rare natural resources. The State Committee for Cooperation and Investment, when approving investment licenses, will determine the specific tax rate applicable to each project, depending on the conditions of exploitation of the project and the abundance of natural resources.

6. Deductible expenses:

cost of goods sold, salaries, depreciation, operating expenses, administrative expenses, all types of taxes (except income tax), insurance premiums, interest expense, other expenses (totaling no more than 5% of total expenses), and losses (carried forward for up to five years).

Third, import and export tariffs

Vietnam's Law on Import and Export stipulates that foreign-invested enterprises and cooperative projects are exempted from import and export tariffs, but import tariffs and business taxes must be levied on imported goods if they are sold in Vietnam. Foreigners can apply for export tariff concessions when applying for business or investment licenses.

4. Withholding tax

Foreign investors are required to pay withholding tax when they remit profits abroad.

1. If the registered capital of the investment is less than 5 million dollars, the applicable tax rate is 10%;

2. If the registered capital of the investment is between 5 million and 10 million dollars, the applicable tax rate is 7%;

3. If the registered capital of the investment is more than 10 million dollars, the applicable tax rate is 5%.

V. Business Tax and Special Consumption Tax

All enterprises and foreign partners engaged in the operation or sale of goods in Vietnam must pay business tax or special consumption tax.

Business tax is levied in the areas of resource extraction, manufacturing and sales of products, construction, transportation, commerce, and services. The rate of business tax is 0-35%, but the rate for shipping agency is as high as 40%, and the tax is not applicable to export products and agricultural production.

Special consumption tax is levied on tobacco, wine, beer and firecrackers at a rate of 25% to 100%, based on the manufacturer's sales price ÷ (1 + tax rate), and no sales tax is levied on the production of products subject to special consumption tax.

For oil, natural gas and some rare resources, in addition to the profit tax of more than 25%, there is a resource tax of 1% to 40%. However, if you cooperate with foreigners as an investment on the Vietnamese side, you are exempted from resource tax.

The contract tax is imposed on companies or individuals who make profits from operations through contracts with Vietnam-based organizations. A tax rate of 4% or 8% on the total contract cost is applied to companies, and a personal income tax rate is applied to individuals.

VI. Export Processing Zones (EPZs)

Vietnam decided to set up EPZs at the beginning of 1988, and in October 1991, the regulations on EPZs were promulgated. So far, the Council of Ministers of Vietnam has officially approved the establishment of EPZs in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City and Hai Phong City.

1. The income tax rate for production enterprises in EPZs is 10% and they are exempted from income tax for 4 years from the date of profitability of the enterprises;

2. For service enterprises, the income tax rate is 15% and they are exempted from income tax for 2 years from the date of profitability of the enterprises;

3. Business tax for enterprises that have started operation is exempted from business tax for 2-3 years;

4. Equipment, materials, raw materials and commodities that are imported by enterprises in EPZs from foreign countries are exempted from business tax. Equipment, materials, raw materials and commodities imported from foreign countries are exempted from import tax;

5. Export of goods and products to foreign countries are exempted from export tax.