Hanoi (VNA) – National Assembly deputies discussed severaldivisive issues of the draft law amending and supplementing some articles ofthe Law on Public Investment, and the draft revision of the Law on TaxManagement at the one-day 31st session of the 14th NA Standing Committee onFebruary 21.

Listening to several ideas on the revision scale andthe name of the law amending and supplementing some articles of the Law onPublic Investment, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien said that the NA StandingCommittee agreed that the revision scale and the name of the law will depend onthe review of the draft law’s content, with the aim to solve difficulties,promote development, and minimise the adjustment of unnecessary articles orthose which can harm the legal system.

Hien said that the NA Standing Committee willreconsider criteria for the classification of key national investment projects,including criteria related to the environment, society, forests, rice fields,and population density.

Regarding regulations on the management of officialdevelopment assistance (ODA) and foreign preferential loans, he stated that itis essential to rely on the Law on Management of Public Debts to avoid overlapbetween offices in management.

The NA Vice Chairman also stressed that there are noregulations on the duty and responsibility of the People’s Councils and theirpermanent members in considering investment projects during periods when thePeople’s Councils do not convene meetings.

While scrutinising the draft revision of the Law onTax Management, head of the National Assembly’s Finance-Budget Committee NguyenDuc Hai said that it is necessary to clarify the responsibility of the state’s auditand inspectorate offices.

Head of the NA Standing Committee’s OmbudsmanCommittee Nguyen Thanh Hai emphasised that the draft law does not mention theresponsibility of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in managing taxcollection over those who work in the cultural and art fields, an issue whichhas drawn attention from voters.

Therefore, relevant units should study and supplementthis content, Hai suggested.

NA Vice Chairman Hien requested that drafting and verifyingoffices look back at issues related to the responsibility of ministries,sectors, and localities in tax management; regulations that ensure openness andtransparency in the work; the application of electronic invoices; and the useof technology in tax management.

Also at the session, the NA Standing Committeelistened to the Government’s report on the outcomes of the collection of publicopinions on the draft revised Law on Education, and looked into issues relatedto the Vietnam National University-Hanoi project in the city’s Hoa Lac area. –VNA