Ministry of Industry and Trade wants to tax cheap foreign goods sold through Shopee, Lazada

(Dan Tri) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade wants to impose import tax on orders worth less than 1 million VND via e-commerce to prevent the proliferation of cheap, poor quality goods and protect domestic production.

In the draft decree regulating customs management of goods imported via e-commerce, the Ministry of Finance proposes to exempt import tax for goods worth VND1 million or less. At the same time, each organization or individual purchasing goods will only enjoy tax exemption policy for these imported goods of no more than VND48 million per year.

However, in its comments on the draft, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed not to exempt import tax for orders valued at VND1 million or less. Explaining the reason, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that currently, many countries have tightened regulations on import tax and specialized inspection, especially for small-value goods imported through e-commerce channels such as Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the above moves by countries aim to prevent the widespread appearance of cheap, poor quality goods, and at the same time protect domestic production from the risk of not being able to compete with cheap imported goods.  

The management agency also said that large countries like the US have just introduced reciprocal tax policies imposed on many other countries, which also have the goal of restoring domestic production...

According to Metric statistics, foreign sellers account for nearly 11% of the total number of stores on Shopee in Vietnam with an average low price of 43,682 VND/product and diverse designs (Photo: Minh Huyen).

However, in the content of acceptance and explanation, the Ministry of Finance stated that goods traded via e-commerce are often small-scale goods, used for personal purposes. Applying for a license and checking conditions for small quantities of goods is not possible.

"The imposition of a quota of VND48 million per year has also prevented the widespread import of cheap goods, while still facilitating the development of goods traded via cross-border e-commerce following the global trend," the Ministry of Finance explained.

Previously, the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry - VCCI also said that the exemption of import tax for orders of 1 million VND or less is not appropriate and risks continuing to create inequality with domestically produced goods.

This agency cited that the value of each e-commerce order is often low, mostly not exceeding 1 million VND. For example, in 2024, more than 324.1 million imported products were sold via Shopee, generating revenue of 14,200 billion VND, or an average value of only about 43,682 VND/product.

Thus, VCCI believes that the tax exemption threshold of 1 million VND means that most imported e-commerce goods will not be subject to import tax.

In addition, domestic manufacturing enterprises must pay import tax on input materials, while imported goods via e-commerce are completely exempted. This creates inequality in tax policy, giving foreign goods a competitive advantage.

According to e-commerce data platform Metric, in 2024, on the Shopee e-commerce platform alone, more than 324 million products were imported into Vietnam through this platform, with revenue reaching VND 14,200 billion, up nearly 38% and 43% respectively compared to 2023. Foreign sellers are accounting for nearly 11% of the total number of stores on Shopee in Vietnam with cheap prices (average VND 43,682/product) and diverse designs.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/bo-cong-thuong-muon-danh-thue-hang-nuoc-ngoai-gia-re-ban-qua-shopee-lazada-20250616182804600.htm