Following a review of 35 artists and celebrities conducting livestream sales on social media, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department has collected billions of dong in taxes. Notably, one beauty queen contributed 4.7 billion VND (approximately $192,000) in taxes.

At the 2024 Tax Performance Summary and 2025 Task Implementation Conference, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department reported exceeding its domestic revenue target, collecting over 373 trillion VND ($15.2 billion), marking a 16.6% increase from the previous year.

Revenue from business and production activities alone accounted for over 216 trillion VND ($8.8 billion). For 2025, the department is tasked with a budget target of 389 trillion VND ($15.8 billion) out of a total city-wide target of 506 trillion VND ($20.6 billion).

Efforts to tackle tax violations and promote compliance

In 2024, the department managed 58,264 taxpayers, including 12,959 enterprises and 45,305 individual businesses, generating a total transaction value of 28.7 trillion VND ($1.2 billion).

Tax officials inspected 14,581 organizations and individuals for violations, imposing penalties and recovering over 286 billion VND ($11.6 million), a 31.6% increase from 2023.

Recognizing the growth of e-commerce, the tax department worked with six major e-commerce platforms to guide them in tax declaration procedures.

The department also scrutinized celebrities and influencers engaging in livestream sales on social media platforms.

Among the 35 reviewed individuals, many declared and paid taxes exceeding 1 billion VND ($40,800) each.

Notably: A beauty queen paid 4.7 billion VND ($192,000) in taxes. Another livestream seller contributed 1.9 billion VND ($77,600) in taxes.

In a separate case, after outreach efforts by tax officials, one e-commerce business voluntarily contacted the tax department to declare and pay over 11.5 billion VND ($469,000), including late payment fees.

Anh Phuong