Hanoi (VNA) – The Party Committee and People’s Committee of Hanoion November 6 held a dialogue to seek ways to solve difficulties forenterprises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and put forward solutionsto the capital city's economic development and recovery.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh Tien Dungaffirmed that the city always considers businesses the core and pioneeringforce in economic development, and an important force for the successfulimplementation of socio-economic development goals.

The city has been focusing on promoting administrativeprocedure reform, improving the business and investment environment, removingdifficulties and problems, solving bottlenecks and inadequacies in terms ofmechanisms, policies, and administrative procedures to promote businesses’rapid and sustainable development, stated Dung.

Determining the “health” of businesses is the “health” ofthe economy, municipal authorities have tried their best in order to implementsynchronous measures to effectively control the pandemic at the earliest andfastest.

Mac Quoc Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of Hanoi Association ofSmall and Medium Enterprises, appreciated the Government’s and the city’s supportpolicies for pandemic-affected enterprises.

However, he said that too many conditions attached havehindered enterprises from accessing these policies.

Most businesses expect the Government and the city tocontinue to have solutions on land rent and corporate income tax exemption andreduction in 2021 to maintain business operations, have preferential rentalrates, and practical support programmes for enterprises in trade villages toattract them to put their production plants in industrial clusters andindustrial parks.

Representatives from businesses have recommended ministriesand sectors to integrate utility services in processing administrativeprocedures to help businesses reduce time and costs and create a favourablebusiness environment for start-ups.

Le Vinh Son, Chairman of the Hanoi Association of MainIndustrial Products (HAMI), proposed Hanoi have more drastic measures in tradepromotion, brand popularisation, and export market expansion and bring intofull play the opportunities brought by new-generation free trade agreementsthat Vietnam has joined.

Hanoi is home to over 201,000 enterprises, ranking secondand accounting for 23.7 percent of the total number of firms operating inVietnam. They have helped the capital city contribute 16 percent of GDP, 18.5percent of budget collection and 8.6 percent of total import-export value ofthe country.

On October 19, the municipal People’s Committee also held a dialogue with foreign-invested enterprises in the city to seek measures to tackle difficulties facing them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at that event, Secretary Dung said Hanoi has so far basically controlled the pandemic and gradually returned to new normal. He appreciated the support and contribution by the foreign business community  to the pandemic fight.

The official reiterated the city's policy that considers the foreign-invested economic sector an important driving force for the city's development, and stressed that the municipal authorities always respect and protect legitimate rights and interests of investors, and ensure harmony in interests among the State, investors and workers.

Participants at the event discussed issues regarding taxation, social insurance, licensing and extension of work permits for foreign experts and workers, regulations on entry-exit and pandemic prevention and control.

Local officials affirmed they will focus on helping foreign investors overcome the difficulties to maintain and restore production and business activities. The city's administration has instructed the Taxation Department to extend the deadline for payment of added value, corporate and individual income taxes for over 31,000 taxpayers this year, with a value of nearly 22 trillion VND (956 million USD), reduce land lease by 30 percent for 650 taxpayers at a cost of nearly 250 billion VND./.