The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) seeks to limit the use or cash for large
transactions like the purchase of motorbikes, cars and property by
preparing a draft decree on the issue.
Intended to replace the
2006 decree on cash payment, the new legislation will be submitted to
the Government before this year, according to Director of the SBV’s
Payment Department Bui Quang Tien.
The decree aims to weaken the black market economy by making commercial transactions more transparent.
Restricting
cash payments is expected to help the country fight tax evasion, as
well as counterfeit money production and money laundering.
For the first time, individuals will not be allowed to pay for securities, houses, land and large vehicles with cash.
Organisations will not be allowed to use cash for transactions
relating to real estate, securities, aircraft, ships and cars, or for
transactions exceeding the limit set by the central bank.
The
draft decree is among several measures the SBV has proposed to speed up
its project on non-cash payment, which aims to have 150,000 Point of
Sales (POS) nationwide by 2015. Currently there are 94,000.
According to the SBV, by last September, the market had nearly 51
million bank cards including debit cards, credit cards and prepaid
cards.
But after nearly 20 years, millions of Vietnam ’s ATM
cards are still used to withdraw money at ATMs instead of performing
non-cash transactions, said a representative of Vietnam Cards
Association.
He attributed the lack of change to the fact that
many supermarkets and shopping centres still preferred customers to pay
in cash rather than bank card.
The draft asks other ministries
and agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of
Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Public Security to
take responsibility for popularising the use of bank cards and other
non-cash forms of payment.-VNA