Speaking at the Ministry of Finance’s regular press briefing for the first quarter on April 9, Le Long, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation, said that the use of dual accounting systems by businesses constitutes a serious legal violation, with signs of tax fraud or manipulation in financial reporting.

According to Long, maintaining two parallel sets of accounting books to monitor production and business activities while providing separate records to state authorities not only leads to budget losses but also has long-term negative impacts on the economy and business environment.

He noted that such practices can be systematic and sophisticated, making them difficult to detect without in-depth inspection skills and investigative expertise.

Several recent cases have been uncovered by authorities, including those involving Hoang Long Company and Bao Tin Minh Chau Company Limited.

The tax authority has identified several causes behind the situation. These include limited compliance awareness and business ethics among some enterprises, the motivation to maximise profits and reduce tax obligations, insufficient understanding of legal risks, and the belief that such violations are difficult to detect.

To address the issue, the tax authority has issued an official request to providers of e-invoice solutions to compile lists of clients using accounting software as of March 31 and submit them before April 8.

The aim is to capture data on businesses, organisations and household enterprises using accounting software, thereby enabling better support for tax declaration and payment while ensuring full compliance with tax obligations.

As of April 7, the authority had received data from 42 organisations, covering nearly 13,000 clients using accounting software. Data collection efforts are continuing nationwide.

Starting from April 2026, the tax sector will use this data to review and issue warnings and recommendations to entities showing signs of maintaining multiple accounting systems.

Long said that the sector will focus on key measures such as strengthening control over cash flows, reducing cash transactions, enhancing data connectivity between tax authorities and the banking system, and monitoring high-value transactions through bank accounts.

The tax authority will also accelerate the application of technology and data analytics, using big data and artificial intelligence to assess risks and detect anomalies such as unusual revenue fluctuations or abnormally low profit margins. This marks a shift from manual inspections to data-driven supervision.

In addition, authorities will tighten risk management over e-invoices and accounting software, require real-time sales data connections in high-risk sectors, and request software providers to supply client lists to support oversight of businesses using multiple accounting tools.

The tax sector will also coordinate with relevant agencies to investigate and pursue criminal proceedings against organisations and individuals suspected of tax fraud or evasion, transferring cases to the police when violations are identified.

Regarding tax management of enterprises with high revenues but prolonged losses or thin profits, Long said that nationwide tax data analysis has identified a significant number of such cases.

“Currently, more than 400 enterprises with annual revenues of VND1,000 billion or more are still reporting losses,” he said.

According to the tax authority, while losses or low profits may stem from both objective and subjective factors, there are cases where businesses continue to expand operations and increase investment despite years of reported losses.

This raises questions about the accuracy and honesty of tax and accounting compliance, as well as potential risks in tax administration.

In response, the tax authority has introduced multiple measures to strengthen oversight, including promoting awareness to encourage accurate and transparent tax declarations, and warning businesses of legal consequences and penalties for violations.

Authorities will also intensify reviews of tax filings and conduct more inspections at tax offices, providing guidance for timely corrections where errors are detected.

“We have instructed local tax departments, along with units responsible for e-commerce and large enterprises, to implement measures to strengthen management and prevent revenue losses among businesses with prolonged losses or low profitability,” Long said.

The tax sector has also compiled a list of enterprises with revenues exceeding VND1,000 billion that have reported losses for two consecutive years, in order to assess risks and include them in specialised inspection plans for 2026.

 
Nguyen Le