Strive to increase revenue, reduce expenditure, and ensure the maintenance of a balanced state budget at all levels.

The official dispatch stated: In the first eight months of 2024, under the leadership of the Party, the supervision of the National Assembly, the synchronized involvement of the entire political system, the decisive, close, and timely direction of the Government and the Prime Minister, and the efforts, determination, close coordination, proactive and flexible management, and timely handling of emerging issues by ministries, sectors, and localities, the socio-economic situation continued to be maintained stable and clearly showed positive recovery. Major economic balances were ensured, inflation was controlled, economic growth was promoted, national defense, security, social order and safety were maintained, and social welfare and people's lives were ensured.

State budget revenue in the first eight months of the year is estimated to reach 78.5% of the projected target, under conditions where policies of exemption, reduction, and extension of many types of taxes, fees, charges, land rent, and other budget revenues have been implemented; state budget expenditures have been managed tightly and economically; the state budget balance has been ensured, and the state budget deficit, public debt, government debt, and national foreign debt are within the limits permitted by the National Assembly.

However, the production and business activities of some enterprises remain difficult, inflationary pressure is still high, and natural disasters, storms, and floods are developing in a complex manner. Overall, state budget revenue has progressed well and shown growth compared to the same period last year, but some revenue items still have low collection progress, especially land use fees. The disbursement of development investment expenditures in the first eight months of the year only reached 40.49% of the plan assigned by the Prime Minister, lower than the same period last year; and 19 ministries and central agencies and 31 localities have not yet fully allocated their assigned capital plan for 2024.

Furthermore, through the results of parliamentary oversight, conclusions from the State Inspectorate and State Audit Office, and annual budget settlements, it has been observed that financial discipline and order are still not strictly enforced in some areas. There are still instances of legal violations, fraud, tax evasion, improper management and use of public funds and assets, and losses and waste in some ministries, sectors, localities, agencies, and units.

Strengthen savings in recurrent expenditures and focus resources on increasing investment in infrastructure development and disaster prevention and mitigation.

In the coming months, the global situation is expected to remain complex and unpredictable, negatively impacting our economy. Domestically, the economy faces numerous difficulties and challenges. However, with the determination to strive to achieve the highest possible level of completion of the 2024 budget targets and tasks as outlined in the Central Committee's conclusions and the resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government, we aim to ensure the balance of the state budget at all levels under all circumstances, strengthen savings in recurrent state budget expenditures, focus resources on increasing investment in infrastructure development, disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change adaptation, and tighten financial and state budget discipline.

The Prime Minister requests that Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and government agencies; and Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities focus on directing, guiding, and inspecting subordinate agencies and units to continue making strenuous and decisive efforts to implement the socio-economic development and state budget development solutions and tasks that have been set forth, striving to increase revenue, strengthen expenditure savings, and proactively balance the state budget in the remaining months of 2024; in which, focusing on implementing the following key tasks and solutions:

1. Ministries, agencies, and localities:

a) Continue to effectively implement key solutions and tasks to promote administrative procedure reform, improve the investment and business environment, enhance national competitiveness, remove difficulties for production and business, and develop socio-economic development in accordance with Resolutions No. 01/NQ-CP and No. 02/NQ-CP dated January 5, 2024, Resolution No. 93/NQ-CP dated June 18, 2024 of the Government and the Resolutions of regular Government meetings; Directives No. 12/CT-TTg dated April 21, 2024, No. 14/CT-TTg dated May 2, 2024, and Telegram No. 71/CĐ-TTg dated July 21, 2024 of the Prime Minister.

Focus on implementing fiscal, monetary, and other macroeconomic policies already issued to alleviate difficulties for businesses and people, control inflation, maintain macroeconomic stability, sustain growth momentum, and ensure major economic balances; strive for a GDP growth rate of approximately 7% for the whole year of 2024, exceeding the set target, creating a foundation and momentum for 2025 and the 2026-2030 period.

Synchronizing solutions for revenue management and combating revenue loss in the state budget.

b) Vigorously implement the task of collecting state revenue, striving to complete the assigned revenue target at the highest possible level.

- Continue to improve the institutional framework and legal policies on state budget revenue collection, implement comprehensive solutions and measures for revenue management, combat revenue loss, and ensure the correct, complete, and timely collection of all revenue items as prescribed. Continue to research and improve tax regulations on houses and land; expand and prevent erosion of the tax base, exploit remaining revenue sources, and expand new revenue bases.

- To further promote and enhance digital transformation and the application of information technology, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of revenue management, especially in collecting revenue from e-commerce transactions and foreign suppliers, deploy a data portal for e-commerce platforms, and expand the deployment of electronic invoices generated from cash registers for businesses and household businesses operating and providing goods and services directly to consumers, especially food and beverage services... Based on this, strive to achieve a 2024 state budget revenue exceeding 10% of the National Assembly's projected target, and a 2025 state budget revenue approximately 5% higher than the estimated 2024 figure to ensure resources to meet expenditure tasks according to the budget, increase spending to create funds for salary reform, and handle unforeseen tasks.

- Strengthen the prevention and combating of trade fraud, transfer pricing, import price manipulation, and cross-border smuggling, especially in digital business activities and real estate transfers. Strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of regulations on price management, taxes, fees, and price stabilization of raw materials and essential goods for production and people's lives.

Strive to save approximately 10% more on the increased recurrent expenditure in the 2025 budget compared to the 2024 budget.

c) Organize and manage state budget expenditures proactively, save on state budget spending, tighten discipline and order, and improve the efficiency of state budget utilization.

- Thoroughly economize on recurrent expenditures, proactively review and prioritize expenditure tasks; cut and save 5% of the allocated recurrent expenditure budget in accordance with Directive No. 01/CT-TTg dated January 4, 2024 of the Prime Minister and Resolution No. 119/NQ-CP dated August 7, 2024 of the Government. For 2025, in addition to the 10% savings in recurrent expenditures to create a fund for salary reform as stipulated, in the implementation process, Ministries, agencies, and localities will synchronously implement solutions to review, restructure, and rearrange expenditure tasks, striving to save an additional 10% of the increased recurrent expenditures of the 2025 budget compared to the 2024 budget (after excluding expenditures similar to those in 2024 as stipulated in Resolution No. 119/NQ-CP dated August 7, 2024 of the Government) to allocate resources to reduce the state budget deficit or for urgent and emerging tasks, implement social security tasks of each Ministry, agency, and locality, or supplement development investment expenditures.

- Implement budget expenditures in accordance with regulations and within the allocated budget, ensuring strict control, economy, and efficiency; focus resources on implementing salary reform policies, social security policies and schemes, and poverty reduction; cut back on recurrent expenditure budgets allocated to ministries and central agencies but not yet distributed to budget-using units by June 30, 2024 (except in cases permitted by the Prime Minister) in accordance with Government Resolution No. 82/NQ-CP dated June 5, 2024.

- Focus on implementing key tasks and solutions according to Directive No. 26/CT-TTg dated August 8, 2024, of the Prime Minister, accelerating the implementation and disbursement of public investment capital, especially for national key projects and national target programs; promptly reallocate capital from tasks and projects that do not meet the conditions for disbursement or are disbursing slowly to supplement tasks and projects that can disburse quickly and have a need for additional capital as prescribed. Strive to disburse over 95% of the allocated capital plan for 2024, contributing to promoting economic growth.

- Invest in construction and procurement of public assets in accordance with regulations, standards, and norms, ensuring efficiency. Organize the review and reorganization of public assets, and dispose of assets no longer needed in accordance with regulations; resolutely recover assets used for the wrong purposes, for the wrong uses, or exceeding standards and norms; prevent waste and loss of public assets.

- Urgently implement the regulations in Resolution No. 104/2023/QH15 and Resolution No. 142/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly, review the entire legal framework to submit to competent authorities for consideration and decision on amending or abolishing the special financial and income mechanisms of agencies and units currently in operation to ensure suitability before December 31, 2024. During the process of amending or abolishing the special financial and income mechanisms, Ministries and central agencies are responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the operation of agencies and units according to the general regime prescribed by the State.

d) Local authorities shall spend the state budget according to the allocated budget and revenue collection capacity as decentralized; proactively utilize contingency funds, reserves, budget surpluses, and other legitimate local resources to handle expenditures for disaster prevention, mitigation, and recovery, as well as other urgent and unforeseen expenditures as prescribed. Review, reorganize, and adjust expenditure estimates according to regulations; proactively cut unnecessary expenditures; thoroughly economize on recurrent expenditures, especially those for conferences, seminars, celebrations, domestic business trips, and overseas research and surveys.

In cases where projected local budget revenue falls short of the target, the Provincial People's Committee shall develop a plan to report to the Provincial People's Council on solutions to ensure local budget balance as follows: (i) proactively retain 50% of the local budget reserve; (ii) balance local resources to proactively compensate for the decrease in local budget revenue (financial reserve fund, budget surplus, etc.). If, after using local resources, the decrease in revenue is still not compensated, expenditure tasks must be reviewed, cut, or postponed, with a proactive restructuring of development investment expenditure, especially in cases where revenue from land use fees and lottery sales fluctuates significantly.

During the budget management process, in the event of a temporary budget shortfall at any level, it is necessary to promptly report to the higher authority for consideration and handling in accordance with the provisions of Article 58 of the State Budget Law and Clause 1, Article 36 of Government Decree No. 163/2016/ND-CP.

Ensure sufficient reserves for disaster and epidemic prevention and control, salary payments, and social security policies.

2. The Ministry of Finance shall preside over and coordinate with other Ministries, agencies, and localities:

a) Continue to implement a rational, focused, and effective expansionary fiscal policy, coordinating closely and harmoniously with monetary policy to promote growth, stabilize the macroeconomy, control inflation, and ensure the major balances of the economy. Control the budget deficit and public debt within permissible limits.

b) More vigorously implement digital transformation, regulations on electronic invoices, especially promoting the application of digital transformation in budget revenue and expenditure, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state budget revenue and expenditure management; ensuring accurate, complete, and timely revenue collection, expanding the tax base and combating tax evasion, especially from e-commerce, to compensate for revenue reductions due to the implementation of support policies. Manage the budget to ensure contingency funds for disaster and epidemic prevention and control, salary payments, social security policies, and other important and urgent political tasks.

c) Taking into account the opinions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, finalize and submit to the Government before September 15, 2024, the draft Decree regulating the preparation of estimates, management, and use of recurrent expenditures of the State budget for the procurement of assets and equipment; renovation, upgrading, expansion, and new construction of project components in already invested construction projects, as a basis for submitting to competent authorities for the allocation of the remaining recurrent expenditure estimates for 2024.

d) Compile the figures for the 5% reduction and savings in the recurrent expenditure budget of ministries, central agencies, and localities to report to the Government and competent authorities for consideration and decision in accordance with Resolution No. 119/NQ-CP dated August 7, 2024 of the Government.

Promptly urge and guide the handling of arising issues to accelerate the disbursement of public investment funds.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall preside over and coordinate with ministries, central and local agencies to urgently review and report to competent authorities on amendments to legal regulations on public investment to remove institutional difficulties and obstacles; urge and promptly guide the handling of arising issues to accelerate the disbursement of public investment capital; and urgently submit to competent authorities the adjustment of the 2024 central budget investment plan among ministries, central agencies, and localities in accordance with the regulations and directives of the Government and the Prime Minister.

4. The Prime Minister assigns Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc to direct, supervise, and effectively implement this Official Dispatch; and to report to the Prime Minister on matters beyond his authority.

5. The Government Office shall monitor and urge the implementation of this Official Dispatch in accordance with its assigned functions and duties./.

PV