Selling online, be honest in fulfilling your tax obligations

Recently, many TikTokers, KOLs, and online sellers have been prosecuted for tax evasion. From being influential people, trusted by the online community, they have become typical examples of subjectivity, ignorance, or intentional disregard for tax laws.

These incidents are sounding the alarm bell for the e-commerce business community - a field that is growing strongly in Vietnam.

Many people still think that online sales are “invisible” and unregulated, so there is no need to declare or pay taxes. But in reality, every transaction – even through personal accounts – leaves a trace.

Screenshots of e-commerce platform applications. Photo: Vien Thong

A typical case is Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, owner of the Facebook account “Hycloset” specializing in selling branded goods online, was discovered to have a revenue of more than 834 billion VND but did not declare or pay taxes. This behavior led to her being investigated for tax evasion of more than 12.5 billion VND. Despite fully understanding the regulations, Ms. Huong still deliberately violated the regulations by receiving payments through her personal account and organizing livestreams at her home to conceal her business activities.

Not only Ms. Huong, many other individuals and businesses were also prosecuted for tax evasion when selling goods online. Some sold goods through TikTok, others did business on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Tiki, Lazada. Despite huge revenue - even up to tens, hundreds of billions of VND - they did not issue invoices, did not register their businesses, and did not fulfill their tax obligations.

The tricks they use to evade taxes are increasingly sophisticated: using multiple bank accounts to split revenue, using the names of relatives or employees to receive money, declaring lower income than actual. Some people even use the business household model to avoid financial inspection. But no matter how cleverly they hide, as long as the cash flow shows signs of abnormality, the authorities can completely detect and handle it seriously.

Many people mistakenly believe that selling online is “extra work” or “spontaneous” so there is no need to declare it. However, if regular income is generated from sales, it is clearly a business activity. And if you are doing business, you must comply with tax laws like any other industry.

In the digital economy , the use of data by authorities to manage taxes is becoming increasingly effective. Transfer transactions, information from e-commerce platforms, shipping units, even input invoices, livestream views, etc. can all become the basis for determining actual revenue. Once caught, evasion is almost impossible. The consequences of tax evasion are not only tax arrears or administrative penalties. More seriously, violators can be prosecuted. At that time, not only economic losses but also great impacts on the reputation and career of individuals and organizations. In particular, when authorities expand their investigation, all related accounts - including those of relatives - can be checked and compared to verify the cash flow.

Therefore, the advice for those who are doing business on digital platforms is: be honest, transparent and proactive in fulfilling tax obligations. Do not trade short-term benefits for long-term legal risks. When doing business properly, you not only protect yourself but also build a reputation and a sustainable foundation for long-term development.

E-commerce is an irreversible trend. But along with that development comes a higher requirement for responsibility, including tax responsibility. Don't let million-view livestreams and continuous orders close end with a decision to prosecute.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202507/ban-hang-qua-mang-hay-trung-thuc-thuc-hien-nghia-vu-thue-3181506/