This photo taken on June 10, 2025 shows a woman holding a counterfeit luxury Louis Vuitton handbag at her home in Hanoi. Tax officials attribute the wave of shutdowns to mounting anxiety among vendors over the possibility of being inspected for selling counterfeit, unlabelled or poor-quality goods. - AFP
HANOI: Nearly 3,000 business households in Hanoi ceased operations in May and June, with tax authorities confirming that the shutdowns were largely driven by fear of inspections and concerns over counterfeit goods, rather than the recent e-invoicing requirements.
According to the regional tax department, 2,961 business households suspended operations during the two months. However, only 263 of these, equivalent to just 8.8 per cent, were subject to mandatory use of e-invoices under Decree 70/2025/ND-CP. This suggests the new tax policy did not trigger the closures, as some had speculated.
