Professional tax preparation services regulated
16-MAY-2008 Intellasia | 08/May/2008 Vietnam News
May 16, 2008 - 7:00:00 AM
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The Ministry of Finance issued Circular No 28/2008/TT-BTC on April 3, guiding the provision of tax preparation services, as well as licensing of tax service providers.
Under this circular, only tax agents who have been registered for practice with the general Department of Taxation and named on the list of registered practicing tax agents on the department website may enter into written contracts for provision of services of carrying out tax-procedures. Such a contract must clearly state the scope of tax affairs the tax agent is authorised to handle, duration of authorisation and responsibilities of contractual parties.
Agents carrying out tax procedures on a taxpayer's behalf will be administratively sanctioned if they violate tax laws and suspended from operations and deleted from the published list of tax agents if they fail to satisfy specified practice conditions, supply information or send reports on their operations to tax offices when requested.
Tax agents will lose their practice certificates if they collude with or assist taxpayers in evading taxes or committing tax fraud. Those who lend their practice certificates to others or practice their professions at multiple tax agencies will be suspended from practicing and have their names, deleted from the list of registered practitioners for one-year.
To be granted a practice certificate for provision of tax services, a person must possess a higher degree in economics, finance, accounting, audit or law, and have worked in this domain for two-years or more and passed a qualifying examination.
Tax agents will receive free guidance from tax offices on administrative procedures and new tax regulations, as well as regular training and technical assistance in cases of computerised tax declaration.
Tax agents may complain of or denounce illegal acts or difficulties in their service provision intentionally caused by tax offices and officers.
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