New laws take effect in January

03:01, 02/01/2015

As many as 13 laws will come into force from January 1, 2015.
 

Illustrative image
Illustrative image 
As many as 13 laws will come into force from January 1, 2015.
 
Expanding benefits, coverage on health insurance

According to the Law on Health Insurance, people living in severely disadvantaged areas and islands will be provided free health insurance, which is covered by the State budget.

The health insurance fund will pay 100% treatment fees for patients having their health insured for more than five years.

Five issues adjusted in Law on Employment

Five issues will be adjusted in the Law on Employment, including the policy to support job creation, information about labor market, evaluation and granting national profession certificates, organization of employment service and unemployment insurance.

The public employment policy aims to provide temporary jobs for laborers through State-funded programs or activities related to socio-economic development programs.

Corporate income tax exemption for cooperative

The revised Law on Taxation stipulates that incomes of co-operatives and businesses deriving from agriculture and aquaculture processing activities in extremely disadvantaged areas will be exempted from corporate income tax.

The value added tax to several products serving agriculture and offshore fishing will also be exempted.

Surrogacy for humanitarian purposes

The amended Law on Marriage and Family lifts the ban on the same sex marriage and allows surrogacy for humanitarian purposes in Viet Nam.

Forbidding harmful land, organisms

The Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine prohibits carrying harmful land and organisms into Viet Nam, producing, trading, using, preserving, transporting, eliminating and treating plant protection products illegally.

Notarization activities improved

Under the revised Law on Notarization, people exempted from training include judges, prosecutors and investigators with at least five years of experience; lawyers practicing for five years and upwards; professors, associate professors specializing in law; doctors of law; senior judiciary inspectors and senior procurators; and senior officials, researchers and lecturers in the legal field.

Customs procedures reformed

The Law on Customs stipulates the acceleration of reforming customs procedures, modernizing customs management, changing customs procedure clearance from the traditional method to electronic method, simplifying administrative procedures on customs, improving the effectiveness of customs management as well as strengthening national security protection and economic security works to prevent smuggling and trade frauds.

Quality of construction closely monitored

 

The fundamental principle and core content of the Law on Construction aim to renew the method of the management of projects, especially those funded by the State budget, to overcome losses and wastes as well as improving the quality of construction projects.

The Law on Construction 2014 will strengthen supervision and management of construction quality to ensure the transparency in the license-granting process and promote the management role of the State over construction activities.

Anti-waste in public investment

The amended Law on Public Investment institutionalizes the process of investment policy and increases the responsibilities of the decision-makers to prevent scattering, wasteful and ineffective public investment.

Inland waterway development

The revised Law on Inland Waterway Navigation stipulates that the inland waterway development must be suitable with the transportation development plan and guarantee the national security and defense.

The law abandons the regulation on the registry for non-motorized vessels with a gross tonnage of between 5 tons and 15 tons and abolishes the restriction on crewmen working on board vessels not older than 55 years for women or 60 years for men.

Regulations on green growth, climate change supplemented

The Law on Environmental Protection supplements some regulations on green growth, climate change and environmental security and harmonizes regulations of the Law with the international conventions on the environment that Viet Nam signed and joined.

Amendment in bankruptcy law  

Under the new Law on Bankruptcy, a minimum period in which creditors can lodge a petition for bankruptcy proceedings against debtors is three months from the due date of financial obligations.

Enterprises are allowed to monitor assets during the bankruptcy process, including management arbitrator, business management and asset liquidation.

Immigrants facilitated

The amended Law on EntryExit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Viet Nam creates favorable conditions for foreigners to enter, exit, transit and reside in Viet Nam for travelling, seeking for market, cooperating in investment and studying as well as meeting the demands for protecting national security, social order and safety.

The law does not allow changing the purposes of visas to prevent foreigners entering Viet Nam for tourism purpose but working and teaching in Viet Nam.

(Source:VGP)