10 new policies effective from December 2016

(Baonghean.vn) - Many new and important policies in the fields of taxation, health insurance, civil servants, unemployment, etc., officially came into effect on December 1, 2016.

1. Criteria for identifying particularly disadvantaged mountainous villages in the period 2016-2020

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According to Decision 50/2016/QD-TTg (effective from December 20, 2016) on criteria for identifying particularly disadvantaged villages and communes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2016-2020, a particularly disadvantaged village is one that meets one of the following two criteria:

The total percentage of poor and near-poor households is 65% or higher (of which the percentage of poor households is 35% or higher) according to the multidimensional poverty approach standard for the period 2016-2020;

The total poverty and near-poverty rate is 55% or higher (30% or higher in the Southeast and Mekong Delta regions) according to the multidimensional poverty approach standard for the 2016-2020 period, and has 2 out of the following 3 factors (for villages with 80% or more ethnic minority households, 1 out of 3 factors is required);

The main village or inter-village roads have not been paved according to the new rural development criteria; 60% or more of the classrooms for kindergartens are not structurally sound; There is no village cultural center or sports complex as stipulated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

2. New regulations on conditions for deducting value-added tax (VAT)

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This is the content mentioned in Circular 173/2016/TT-BTC (effective from December 15, 2016) amending Clause 3, Article 15 of Circular 219/2013/TT-BTC on bank payment documents. Accordingly:

Remove the regulation that: Both the buyer's and seller's accounts must be registered or notified to the tax authorities as a requirement for bank payment documentation to be eligible for VAT deduction.

Therefore, the entity is still entitled to deduct input VAT even if the buyer's and seller's accounts are not notified or registered with the tax authorities, but meet all the necessary conditions.

No account registration with the tax authorities is required when the buyer makes a payment from their account to the seller's account registered under the name of the sole proprietor, or when the buyer makes a payment from their account registered under the name of the sole proprietor to the seller's account.

3. Guidelines for health insurance payment for police officers and soldiers.

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According to Circular 43/2016/TT-BCA, when officers and soldiers receive medical examination and treatment under health insurance in accordance with the regulations in Articles 26, 27 and 28 of the amended and supplemented Health Insurance Law 2014 and Article 15 of Decree 70/2015/ND-CP, the health insurance fund will reimburse the costs within the following scope:

The costs of medical examination and rehabilitation, routine prenatal check-ups, and childbirth are not subject to the payment limits for certain drugs, chemicals, medical supplies, and medical technical services as stipulated by the Minister of Health.

Transportation costs are stipulated in Clause 5, Article 11 of Decree 70/2015/ND-CP.

Medical examination and treatment costs outside the scope of health insurance coverage include: medicines, chemicals, medical supplies licensed for circulation in Vietnam, and medical technical services approved by competent authorities as prescribed by specialists.

Circular 43/2016/TT-BCA came into effect on December 9, 2016.

4. Civil service ranks in Market Management

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The government issued Decree 148/2016/ND-CP providing detailed guidance on the implementation of some provisions of the Ordinance on Market Management.

Accordingly, market management officials are individuals recruited to work at market management agencies in accordance with the law on civil servants and who receive professional training and are appointed to the following market management official ranks:

Senior Market Inspector; Principal Market Inspector; Market Inspector; Intermediate Market Inspector.

5. Receiving and returning results of administrative procedures via postal service.

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According to Decision 45/2016/QD-TTg on receiving applications and returning results of administrative procedures through public postal services, organizations and individuals carrying out administrative procedures through public postal services can choose one of the following forms:

Submitting documents for administrative procedures; Receiving results of administrative procedures; Submitting documents and receiving results of administrative procedures.

Organizations and individuals pay fees and charges for administrative procedures (if any) using the following methods:

Pay or transfer fees directly into the account of the competent authority;

Directly deposit or transfer funds into the account of the public postal service provider for forwarding to the competent authority;

Pay administrative procedure fees and charges through alternative methods if approved by the competent authority.

Payment receipts, bank transfer receipts for administrative procedure fees, or receipts for administrative procedure fees (if any) must be submitted along with the application to the competent authority or person.

See details in Decision 45/2016/QD-TTg, effective December 16, 2016.

6. Permissible noise levels in the workplace.

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This is the content mentioned in Circular 24/2016/TT-BYT (effective from December 1, 2016) stipulating the National Technical Standard on Noise - Permissible Noise Exposure Levels in the Workplace.

Accordingly, the permissible noise exposure levels in the workplace are stipulated as follows:

- Permissible limits for sound pressure levels based on exposure time:

+ Within 1 minute: must not exceed 112 dBA.

+ Within one hour: the voltage must not exceed 94 dBA.

+ Within 8 hours: the level must not exceed 85 dBA.

- Permissible limits for negative pressure levels at workplaces:

+ At the workplace, during direct labor and production: the noise level must not exceed 85 dBA.

+ Functional rooms, administrative offices, accounting offices, and planning offices: noise levels must not exceed 65 dBA.

+ Rooms for intellectual work, research and design, statistics, computer programming, and theoretical laboratories: noise levels must not exceed 55 dBA.

7 - National Criteria for New Rural Communes, 2016-2020

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The Prime Minister issued Decision 1980/QD-TTg on the National Criteria Set for New Rural Communes for the period 2016-2020 (hereinafter referred to as the Commune Criteria Set).

Accordingly, 19 national criteria for new rural communes were issued for the period 2016-2020. Among these, some indicators stand out as follows:

- ≥ 98% of households use electricity regularly and safely from reliable sources;

- ≥ 80% of schools at all levels have facilities and teaching equipment that meet national standards;

- ≥ 80% of households have housing that meets the prescribed standards;

- ≥ 90% of the working-age population is employed and able to participate in the labor force;

- ≥ 85% of the population participates in health insurance;

- ≥ 85% of households have sanitary toilets, bathrooms, and domestic water storage tanks that meet the "three clean" standards;

100% of households and food production and business establishments comply with food safety regulations.

8 - Conditions for supporting training for unemployed workers

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According to Circular 152/2016/TT-BTC (effective from December 4, 2016), workers who are eligible under Article 2 of Decision 46/2015/QĐ-TTg and lose their jobs will receive state support for training if they meet the following conditions:

In the case of employment under a contract, one of the following documents is required:

- Decision to terminate employment, forced termination of employment.

- Decision to dismiss; notice or agreement to terminate an employment contract or work agreement.

- The employment contract or work agreement has expired or the work under the employment contract has been completed.

- For cases of employment without a contract: A confirmation letter from the employer.

- For self-employment: A valid business registration certificate or confirmation from the People's Committee at the commune level (in cases where there is no business registration certificate).

At the same time, the Circular also stipulates the conditions for trainees to receive training support for rural workers, people with disabilities, people who have received training support but have lost their jobs, and people belonging to households whose agricultural land or business land has been confiscated.

9 - Guidelines for calculating hazardous work allowance when working at a martyrs' cemetery.

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Circular 30/2016/TT-BLDTBXH guiding the implementation of hazardous and dangerous allowances applicable to cemetery caretakers at martyrs' cemeteries came into effect on December 10, 2016.

Accordingly, hazardous and dangerous work allowances are calculated based on the actual time worked in environments with hazardous and dangerous elements:

- Working less than 4 hours/day: counted as half a workday;

- Working 4 hours or more: includes the full workday.

Hazardous and dangerous work allowances are paid together with the monthly salary and are not used for calculating social insurance contributions or benefits.

10 - Categories and rates of insurance coverage for medical technical services

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According to Circular 35/2016/TT-BYT (effective from December 1, 2016), the list of medical technical services covered by health insurance includes medical examination, treatment, rehabilitation, routine prenatal check-ups, and childbirth services permitted to be performed in Vietnam:

- List of technical specialties in medical examination and treatment issued together with Circular 43/2013/TT-BYT.

- The classification list of surgeries and procedures is issued together with Circular 50/2014/TT-BYT.

- Medical technical services approved by the Minister of Health for implementation at medical examination and treatment facilities that are not included in Circular 43/2013/TT-BYT and Circular 50/2014/TT-BYT.

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