Cleaning up tens of thousands of tax identification numbers: Untangling bottlenecks for management and business.
The "Cleaning up Tax Identification Numbers - Removing Bottlenecks in Business" campaign is being implemented simultaneously across the province by the Tax Department. In addition to focusing on tens of thousands of businesses, households, and individuals that have ceased operations or are no longer operating at their registered addresses, the campaign also aims to build an accurate and synchronized taxpayer database, contributing to the prevention of tax fraud and violations of tax laws.
Many negative consequences result from inaccurate tax data.
In reality, recent experience has shown that inaccurate taxpayer data has led to many negative consequences. Numerous businesses have purchased goods with complete contracts, documents, and invoices, but still have expenses disallowed or are unable to deduct value-added tax because the seller is no longer operating legally. There are also cases where individuals have had their personal documents misused to establish "ghost" businesses, only discovering they were the legal representatives when tax debts or violations arose.
These shortcomings not only create difficulties for regulatory agencies but also directly affect the legitimate rights and interests of businesses and citizens.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director of Hung Vuong Trading and Service Co., Ltd., cleaning up tax identification numbers will bring many practical benefits to the business community, especially in the context of businesses increasingly expanding their network of suppliers and partners nationwide. When taxpayer data is standardized, businesses will find it easier to screen partners, limit transactions with entities that have ceased operations or have invoice risks, thereby reducing control costs and minimizing difficulties when settling taxes.
In accordance with Decision No. 595/QD-CT dated May 8, 2026, of the Director of the Tax Department, Nghe An Provincial Tax Department has aggressively implemented a campaign aimed at cleaning up tax registration data, reducing the number of taxpayers in a state of inactivity but who have not completed the procedures for terminating their tax identification number (status 03) and those not operating at their registered address (status 06). In addition, the Tax Department is closely monitoring newly arising cases, limiting the backlog of dissolution and cessation of operations applications, and contributing to resolving bottlenecks in the production and business activities of taxpayers who comply well with the law.
Immediately after launching the campaign, the Nghe An Provincial Tax Department developed an implementation plan, established a Steering Committee and a working group, and assigned specific tasks to each unit. At the same time, the Tax Department strengthened coordination with business registration agencies, local authorities, the police, and other relevant units to review, cross-check, verify, and standardize taxpayer data.
The implementation process is carried out synchronously, from reviewing data and determining operational status to classifying records to develop appropriate handling plans. For cases where operations have ceased but the procedures for terminating the tax identification number have not been completed, the tax authorities guide taxpayers to complete the necessary paperwork and fulfill all obligations as required. For cases where businesses are no longer operating at their registered address, the tax authorities coordinate with relevant units to verify and update the current status accurately.
In particular, the Tax Department focuses on reviewing cases where individuals are exploited or have their information falsified to establish businesses or household businesses that do not serve actual production or business activities, thereby protecting the rights of citizens and preventing the risk of exploiting legal entities to commit violations.
Reviewing tens of thousands of tax identification numbers.
According to data handed over by the Tax Department, as of March 31, 2026, the entire Nghe An province had 82,364 taxpayers who were inactive but had not completed the procedures for terminating their tax identification numbers and were not operating at their registered addresses. This included 17,388 organizations and businesses, and 64,976 individuals and household businesses.
After a period of implementation, despite many difficulties due to the large volume of historical data, numerous cases requiring verification of identification information, and the handling of long-standing backlogs, the campaign has been implemented synchronously and has initially achieved positive results thanks to the decisive leadership of the Provincial Tax Department and the sense of responsibility of the civil servants.
Mr. Nguyen Bang Thang, Head of the Nghe An Provincial Tax Department, stated that phase 2 of the campaign (from July 15th to October 31st, 2026) is a crucial acceleration phase. Units are required to continue focusing resources, strengthening coordination, promoting awareness, supporting taxpayers, and resolving outstanding cases with the motto "more decisive, faster, and more effective," determined to achieve the set goals.
At Tax Station 8, the unit is managing over 15,700 tax identification numbers belonging to two status groups, 03 and 06, accounting for a large proportion of the entire province. Mr. Dinh Viet Dung, Deputy Head of Tax Station 8, said that along with the review and verification work, the unit is stepping up propaganda to help businesses identify legal risks, and at the same time encouraging taxpayers to proactively cooperate in updating tax registration information. Experience from taxpayers shows that the campaign has helped many businesses and individuals resolve long-standing issues.
Due to ceasing business operations without completing the required termination procedures, Ms. Mai Thi Phuong Thao's tax identification number in Duc Chau commune was changed to "inactive." After being notified by the Tax authorities during the review, she proactively completed the procedures to terminate her tax identification number. Ms. Thao shared that this campaign was an opportunity for taxpayers to cooperate with the Tax authorities to review and resolve outstanding obligations, complete the necessary procedures, and release legal constraints to prepare for new business plans.
Similarly, VT Media Art and Advertising Company Limited, headed by Mr. Vo Trong Tung, also had its tax identification number changed to inactive because it was no longer operating at its registered address but had not notified the tax authorities. Following a review, the company updated its information, completed the procedures to restore its tax identification number, and resumed operations in accordance with regulations.
Mr. Vo Trong Tung stated that the suspension of the tax identification number directly affected the company's transactions. After working with the tax authorities, the company fulfilled its outstanding obligations, standardized the representative's information according to regulations, and restored the tax identification number to an active status.
In reality, many individuals still have inaccurate tax registration information or possess multiple tax identification numbers, making management difficult and posing a potential risk of fraud and tax evasion. Therefore, cleaning up tax identification numbers is a necessary requirement to build an accurate and synchronized taxpayer database, creating a foundation for improved management efficiency and transparency in the business environment.
At Tax Office 1, there are currently over 27,700 tax identification numbers that need to be cleaned up, including more than 4,000 tax identification numbers that lack information on their legal representatives. Many businesses have ceased operations for over 10 years, and the storage of accounting books, documents, and historical data is no longer complete, causing difficulties in processing, settling, and terminating the validity of their tax identification numbers.
Mr. Pham Van Hoi, Deputy Head of Tax Team 1, expressed his hope to continue receiving the cooperation of local authorities, relevant agencies, and especially taxpayers in providing and updating complete and timely information, contributing to achieving the goal of cleaning up tax identification numbers on schedule.
Determined to complete the campaign before December 31, 2026, the Nghe An Provincial Tax Department is continuing to accelerate the implementation of key tasks. However, for the data cleaning process to be effective, close coordination from local authorities, relevant agencies, and the business community and citizens is essential in reviewing and updating accurate information.
