Vietnam Rejects Over VND 10 Trillion in VAT Refunds in First 10 Months of 2026
Vietnam’s Finance Minister Ngô Văn Tuấn said on November 12 that tax authorities rejected more than VND 10 trillion in VAT refunds in the first 10 months of 2026 because businesses submitted incomplete applications and invoices required verification. He acknowledged that refunds remain slow and outlined progress on processing applications by category and managing e-commerce taxes.
During a question-and-answer session on the morning of November 12, Vietnam’s Finance Minister Ngô Văn Tuấn said tax authorities had rejected more than VND 10 trillion in value-added tax (VAT) refunds in the first 10 months of 2026 because businesses’ applications were incomplete and invoices required verification. He acknowledged that refunds remained slow and that funds tied up while businesses awaited refunds added pressure on companies already facing financing difficulties.
Vietnam’s Finance Minister Ngô Văn Tuấn.（VietVance）
The Finance Ministry has classified businesses by their record of legal compliance when processing refunds. About 80% of businesses are placed in a “green lane,” where refunds are issued before inspections; the remaining roughly 20% must be inspected before receiving refunds. Tuấn said 88% of applications in the green lane were processed within seven days, with the rest processed within seven to 10 days. As of the question-and-answer session, refunds for the year totaled about VND 79 trillion, nearly 99% of the 2026 refund budget and more than 40% higher than a year earlier.
The Finance Ministry said it would continue to classify applications and expand its use of information technology. All refund applications are now processed electronically. The ministry will also reform its procedures while preventing losses to the state budget.
On taxation in the digital economy, Tuấn said e-commerce tax revenue reached VND 241 trillion in the first 10 months of 2026, up 42% from the same period a year earlier. Tax authorities currently oversee more than 140,000 businesses and more than one million households and individuals doing business online. Their data systems are connected to 96 banks and electronic payment service providers and 105 logistics and transport companies. The Finance Ministry will strengthen tax administration through business identification, transaction data collection, and tax withholding and remittance by platforms and service providers.
Source: VietVance
