The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has consulted community businesses to develop the Government's resolution on supporting businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MPI draft said the business sector played a key role in the country's socio-economic development and was an important link in the production network, value chain and core force in creating material wealth.

Seeing lower resilience of the business sector in a more complicated situation, the MPI, coordinating with relevant ministries, has studied and absorbed the opinions of the business community and associations, and developed a draft resolution to support and develop businesses from 2021 to 2025.

Aiming to control the pandemic and to restore production and business activities as soon as possible, the draft plans to remove difficulties, obstacles and bottlenecks hindering production and the business activities of enterprises to minimise the number of enterprises temporarily shutting down, dissolving or going bankrupt.

It plans to have 160,000 enterprises enjoying tax payment extensions, and exemption of taxes, fees and land rent reduction; 50,000 enterprises returning to operation; and hundreds of thousands of businesses having access to policies reducing electricity, water, telecommunications charges, and policies to support employees, employers and training of workers.

So far, MPI representatives have asked businesses to put their employees and workers, especially in key economic regions, economic zones, and industrial parks, into priority groups for vaccination.

The MPI said: “Due to different instructions and the inconsistent implementation between localities, there was traffic congestion at some seaports and roads, affecting the production and business of enterprises.”

It suggested localities take responsibility for plans and conditions for safe production and business in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MPI suggested the study, amendments and supplement of regulatory policies on rescheduling debt repayment, exemptions and reduction of interest and fees for customers affected by COVID-19, and also to expand the range of beneficiaries.

Businesses have also raised a number of issues of concern such as the granting and extension of work permits for foreign experts, overtime, and medical isolation procedures for localities to receive incoming workers including local ones who returned from other areas.

According to the ministry, the draft is built to uphold the spirit of self-reliance, as well mobilise national unity, the participation of the whole political system, business community and people, in efforts for the key goal of protecting people's lives, health and business activities. — VNS