National Assembly deputies gave their feedback on the draft revised Law on Export-Import Tariffs during a session in Hanoi on March 25.

Deputy Tran Van Minh from Quang Ninh speaks at the NA session.

A majority of opinions called for adopting the draft Law as soon as possible, which they said, will lay a legal foundation to realise commitments regulated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership as well as other existing free trade agreements (FTAs).

Vietnam has so far joined 10 FTAs and other deals to cut tariffs and make the market more open.

The imposition of trade remedy was also brought to the meeting’s focus.

A number of lawmakers called for the measure, which is applied by many countries, to be stipulated in the law to protect domestic manufacturing and consumers.

Deputy Nguyen Ngoc Bao from the northern province of Vinh Phuc emphasised the need to consider carefully the market landscape when taking the measure, so as to make the best use of potentials brought about by macro-economic integration.

Lawmakers appraise pharmaceutical, import-export duties regulations

The National Assembly (NA) continued the 11th meeting with a plenum on March 25, focusing on the draft revised laws on pharmaceuticals and import and export duties.

After hearing a report on overhauling the draft amended law on pharmaceuticals, deputies scrutinised debatable issues relating to the State’s policies on the pharmaceutical industry, prohibited activities, and the quality of herbal materials and traditional medication.

They also mulled over regulations on the State’s management of nutritional supplement foods and cosmetics management, the management of medicine prices, counterfeit medicine, the advertisement and sales promotion of pharmaceuticals, the supply of medication at healthcare establishments, and administrative reforms in the pharmaceutical business.

Regarding the draft of the amended law on import and export duties, legislators discussed the items on which the duties are levied, the basis for calculating export and import duties, tax payment deadlines, the application of trade remedies, duty exemption for imported goods, and tax refunds.

The parliament is set to convene another plenary session on March 28 and look into a draft report on its activities and its agencies’ performance in the 13th term (2011 - 2016), and a report on the five-year performance of the Auditor General of the State Audit of Vietnam.

The 11th meeting is the last of the 13th National Assembly and scheduled to last through April 12.-

VNA