NA Standing Committee urges deadline to address fire safety violations

National Assembly Vice Chairman Trần Quang Phương chairs the working session discussing the revised draft Law on Fire Prevetion, Firefighting and Rescue. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee on Wednesday continued discussing the revised draft Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue, with many lawmakers suggesting there needs to be a specific timeframe set for mixed-use residential and business buildings to address fire safety violations – or they will be forced to close.

A report on key issues in the draft law, presented by Chairman of the NA’s Defence and Security Committee Lê Tấn Tới, indicated that the draft law on fire prevention had been revised to include nine chapters with 61 articles, from the version presented to the NA’s 7th session.

The revised draft has generally achieved consensus between the review and drafting bodies.

Deputy Chairman of the NA’s Law Committee Nguyễn Trường Giang cited a report from the Ministry of Public Security, which has so far addressed only 1,487 out of 7,187 violating buildings across 35 localities. Among buildings not yet approved for fire safety, but already in use, only 2,964 out of 11,007 have been rectified.

He suggested that regulations must be practical and allow a certain period for compliance. Giang gave an example of mixed-use residential and business buildings, stating that when the law takes effect, there should be a specific timeframe to address these structures. Otherwise, they must cease operations.

He also noted that the draft’s provisions on fire safety for such buildings remain unclear, which could pose challenges for law enforcement and residents.

Taking into account the NA deputies’ opinions, the NA’s Defence and Security Committee worked with the drafting agency to add specific regulations aimed at raising community awareness and skills in fire prevention, firefighting and rescue. This was done through the provisions on state policy (Article 4), responsibilities for disseminating and educating knowledge and laws on fire prevention, firefighting and rescue (Article 8) and responsibilities in state management for the Government, ministries and local People’s Committees (Article 56).

During the session, NA Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn emphasised the need for thorough research and careful review of the draft law to address shortcomings, especially in light of recent major fires that have caused significant loss of life and property damage.

The revised draft law includes specific provisions on fire safety for residential buildings and separate provisions for mixed-use residential and business buildings.

Notably, the addition of regulations for these two types of housing aims to meet fire safety and evacuation requirements. However, some deputies pointed out that the regulations are still vague and may be difficult for both law enforcement and residents to implement.

Many participants in the session also expressed concern about the complexity of fire prevention and firefighting in high-rise buildings.

According to Nguyễn Đắc Vinh, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture and Education, detailed regulations on fire prevention methods and equipment for high-rise buildings are needed as these buildings have high population density and complex layouts, making firefighting and rescue efforts more challenging.

Additionally, the standing committee highly appreciated that the draft law covers regulations on ensuring fire safety in the installation and use of electricity for both residential and industrial purposes to ensure feasibility. They also acknowledged the importance of provisions for inspecting fire safety work, especially self-inspection by localities, agencies, units and organisations.

At the same session, the NA’s Standing Committee discussed the amended draft Law on Value-Added Tax (VAT).

Presenting a report on the draft Law, Chairman of the NA’s Finance and Budget Committee Lê Quang Mạnh stated that the revised draft law now consists of four chapters with 18 articles.

Many opinions suggested imposing VAT on low-value imported goods, instead of the current tax exemption. However, some supported maintaining the exemption for low-value goods, but proposed distinguishing between cases, such as taxing goods for business purposes while exempting personal belongings of travellers.

Regarding these matters, the NA’s Finance and Budget Committee clarified that the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 78/2010/QĐ-TTg currently allows low-value imported goods under VNĐ1 million sent through express delivery services to be exempt from import duty and VAT at the import stage.

This policy has impacted the effectiveness of VAT collection, especially for transactions of these goods through digital platforms and e-commerce marketplaces. In practice, approximately 4-5 million small-value orders are shipped daily from China to Việt Nam through e-commerce platforms, with an average of US$45-63 million worth of low-value goods not being subject to import duty and VAT.

Currently, the Government is drafting a decree on customs management for goods exported and imported through e-commerce transactions. The drafting agency anticipates that this decree will abolish the VAT exemption for low-value imported goods to expand and cover revenue sources more comprehensively, in line with international practices.

In his concluding remarks, NA Vice Chairman Nguyễn Đức Hải urged the NA’s Finance and Budget Committee to closely coordinate with the drafting agency and relevant bodies to continue revising the content of the draft law, ensuring that all feedback is fully and convincingly addressed and that the amended law meets the required standards, particularly in terms of consistency with the legal system and avoiding any legal loopholes. — VNS