With the recent drastic measures taken by the government of the Lao PDR to control the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the economy is in a precarious position as trade, investment, tourism, and growth have come to an indeterminate halt. As per the World Bank, the global economy could shrink by 1 per cent […]

On 29 March 2020, the Prime Minister of the Lao PDR issued Order No. 06/PM (“Order 06”) calling for suspension of all nonessential businesses effective from 30 March 2020 until 19 April 2020. The order prohibits all nonessential in-person communications and travel, and requires everyone, including government employees, business owners, and foreign workers, to stay […]

The Internal Revenue Department (“IRD”) implemented an online tax payment system in 2018, supporting taxpayers who have obtained a Tax Identification Number (“TIN”) from the Large Taxpayers’ Officer (“LTO”) and the Medium Taxpayers’ Office-1 (“MTO-1”) in second phase.

On 23 March 2020, in response to the spreading of COVID-19, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued notification 009/20 requiring all employers to provide an updated list of the contact telephone numbers of all employees to the Department of Labor Inspection of the MLVT by 26 March 2020. Lists are to be emailed to [email protected]. […]

Sickness is a paid leave permitted by the Labor Law (Article 169). Therefore, during sickness, employer needs to pay the salary of his employee. Highlights of this note If an employee falls sick, who pay the salary? What if an employee wants to stay home to take care of children or school closed or child […]

With the emergence and spread of COVID-19, the sale of protective masks and antiseptic disinfectant have greatly increased to the extent that it has become difficult to buy them at a reasonable price.

Tax Cuts and Soft Loans In Myanmar During Covid-19 Businesses around the world are suffering from the impact of Coronavirus 2019 (“COVID-19”), and there is no denying that Myanmar’s economy has also subsequently taken a hit. Due to the lockdown of border countries and travel bans around the world, the import/export industry as well as […]

As the infectious coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) continues to spread rapidly, with more than 100,000 positive cases confirmed by the World Health Organization (“WHO”), employers are facing a major challenge, particularly concerning health and safety risks in the workplace, travel restrictions, sick leave and benefit entitlements, and risk of workplace discrimination. Although there is no confirmed […]

The new Income Tax Law No. 67/NA dated 18 June 2019 (“New Income Tax Law”) has been promulgated by the President of the Lao PDR and was published on the Lao Official Gazette on 3 February 2020. It will come into force on 18 February 2020, i.e. 15 days from the date of its publication in […]

On 9 January 2020, the Ministry of Finance issued Notice No. 0031/CO (the “Notice”) to announce the necessary formalities for business entities to obtain their Tax Payment Certificates for the year 2019. Per the Notice, all business entities registered in the Lao PDR must submit their FY2019 financial statements along with the documents listed below […]

One of the key tax considerations points which should be kept in mind in any investment project into Cambodia is the availability of the benefits under Cambodia’s Investment incentive, specifically the tax incentives once the investment project is registered as a qualified investment project (“QIP”). Highlights Typical power plant project structure with QIP status The […]

Stamp Duty (“SD”) is applicable on all chargeable instruments unless explicitly exempted under Schedule 1 of the Myanmar Stamp Act 1899 (“MSA”). Chargeable instruments mean documents that create, transfer, extinguish, or record rights or obligations and upon which governmental charges are collected in order to give legal effect thereto. Some commonly used chargeable instruments include […]

Please note that a Statement by the Internal Revenue Department, Yangon Region (“IRD”) has been issued regarding enforcing monthly Personal Income Tax (“PIT”) return filings and payments. This statement by the IRD states that as per the newly enforced Tax Administration Law (“TAL”) Section 40 (a) and Section 49(a), if the party responsible for deducting […]

The Union Taw Law (“UTL”) 2019 was enacted on 24 September 2019 by the Union Parliament (the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) and will be applicable for the Financial Year (“FY”) 2019-2020 (1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020). With the new income year commencing on 1 October 2019 and the Tax Administration Law (“TAL”) coming into force, […]

On 19 August 2019, the Union Parliament of Myanmar, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, enacted Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Law (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 24/2019) to replace the colonial-era Land Acquisition Act (1894) as well as to provide a legal framework for resettlement and rehabilitation for the first time in Myanmar. Highlights of this note Overview What’s […]

When applying Value Added Tax (“VAT”), a key consideration is the place of delivery of the goods or services, which is often determined by reference to the place of consumption. If goods are consumed outside of the territory, then they are considered to be export goods, and 0% VAT is usually applied. Likewise, services consumed […]

In June 2019, the Royal Government of Cambodia announced that a double taxation agreement (“DTA”) was signed with the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong”), bringing the number of DTAs signed by Cambodia to seven. A summary of the significant features of the seven DTAs is […]

On 12 June 2019, the Division of Industry and Commerce, Vientiane (“DIC-Vte”) issued Instruction No. 0651 (the “Instruction”) regarding measures to be taken against the illegal operation of businesses by foreigners. The Instruction’s scope covers foreigners who operate unapproved businesses, defined as those who: Operate a business without an enterprise registration certificate (“ERC”) or business […]

On 28 May 2019, the Internal Revenue Department (“IRD”) of the Ministry of Planning and Finance (“MOPF”) announced a change to the income year (formerly from 1 April to 31 March) of private and cooperative sectors (“taxpayers”) to 1 October to 30 September, effective from 1 October 2019. As a result, the taxpayers will have a […]

On 11 April 2019, the Ministry of Economy and Finance issued Circular 003 to confirm the tax treatment of seniority payments introduced by a 2018 amendment to the Labor Law and the issuance of Prakas 443 in September 2018. One of the many uncertainties that had been identified since the introduction of seniority payments as […]