Higher wages are needed to attract and retain employees working for the public sector in Vietnam who are lagging behind their peers in many Southeast Asian countries in terms of income, the online newspaper Vietnamnet reported.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a meeting of the NA Standing Committee in Hanoi on June 12.

State budget collection in the January-May period was estimated at over VND769.6 trillion (US$32.75 billion), equivalent to 47.5% of the estimates for the whole year, the Ministry of Finance reported on June 8.

The State budget's revenues from export-import activities hit over VND152.94 trillion (US$6.5 billion) in the first five months of this year, making up 36% of the estimate, down 18% year on year, the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) reported on June 7.

The total State budget revenue in the first five months of this year reached over VND663.84 trillion (US$28.27 billion), equivalent to 48.3% of the ordinance estimate and 96.9% compared to the figure in the same period last year, reported the General Department of Taxation on June 2.

The 15th National Assembly's fifth session continued its ninth working day in Hanoi on May 31, under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Legislators discussed in group the implementation of the socioeconomic development plan and State budget in the first months of 2023, and thrift practice in 2022, on May 25 – the fourth day of the fifth session of the 15th National Assembly.

VOV.VN - Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc, on behalf of the government, presented a revised proposal concerning a 2% value added tax to 8% at the ongoing session of the National Assembly in Hanoi on May 24.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has asked ministries and central agencies to work closely with localities to remove obstacles for particular projects, thus speeding up public investment disbursement.

VOV.VN - The government has agreed in principle to reduce the value added tax (VAT) by 2% to 8%.