Sharing with Hai Duong businesses after the storm and flood

Factory devastated

On the morning of September 18, 10 days after storm No. 3 (Yagi) swept through the province, the damage recovery work at Quang Minh Aluminum Company Limited in Dai Son Commune (Tu Ky) was still very urgent. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Muoi, the company manager, around the late afternoon of September 7 - the day the storm made landfall in Hai Duong, Mr. Muoi and some of his colleagues in the company who were on duty saw a row of factories starting to tilt under the force of the wind. At around 9:00 p.m. that night, the entire 3,000 m2 factory collapsed completely, crushing almost all the goods inside.

“The storm’s wind was too strong, the factory was large, there were many goods, and we had to ensure absolute safety for the company’s employees at that time, so there was nothing we could do. We encouraged each other that once the storm passed and the rain stopped, we would quickly clean up and restore production as soon as possible to quickly recover the nearly 3 billion VND in damage that storm No. 3 had taken from us,” Mr. Muoi shared.

The wind from storm No. 3 also blew away the corrugated iron roof of the office building, knocked down the solar power system, and collapsed the ceiling of the cold storage of Thang Loi Company Limited in Hai Tan Ward (Hai Duong City). This is one of the leading enterprises in the country in processing and exporting frozen suckling pigs. The storm also caused heavy losses to the Tu Ky facility of this enterprise by damaging the cooling system of the pen as well as causing a power outage to the cold storage system.

Immediately after the storm passed, this company mobilized its workforce to urgently clean up and start generators to ensure the quality of dozens of tons of goods stored in cold storage. “The preliminary damage estimate for our company is more than 2 billion VND. In the past few days, both our company's employees and outsourced mechanics have been working hard to complete the damage repair work as soon as possible. We cannot be discouraged because there are still many orders from foreign partners, mainly from Hong Kong (China), waiting, and the reputation of the brand we have built over the past 24 years. In particular, we must ensure jobs and income for workers, who have shared hardships with us to overcome many difficulties,” said Mr. Dinh Van Chuc, Director of Thang Loi Company Limited.

The spirit of steadfastness and determination in the face of difficulties and damage caused by storm No. 3 has also spread to all employees of VTC Group Joint Stock Company in Kinh Mon. According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Vu, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of this enterprise, storm No. 3 has caused preliminary damage of more than 30 billion VND, mainly from factories, machinery systems, and infrastructure. "Fortunately, the company's personnel are absolutely safe. With the motto of "as long as there are people, there is property", along with the support of partners, including tax authorities and the banking sector, we believe that the speed of production and business recovery will be faster", said Mr. Vu.

Together to restore

Immediately after the storm passed, banks in the province contacted customers, including corporate customers, to get initial information about the damage. On the afternoon of September 12, the State Bank of Vietnam, Hai Duong branch, held a meeting with local commercial banks to discuss the damage to banks and customers caused by storm No. 3.

After 5 days of review, according to preliminary reports from the State Bank of Vietnam provincial branch, by 6:00 p.m. on September 17, Hai Duong banking industry recorded nearly 1,550 customers suffering losses, with outstanding debt losses of more than 3,000 billion VND.

Many banks have actively coordinated with customers to review the damage and gradually develop support plans. Of which, BIDV Hai Duong branch has nearly 50 customers affected with outstanding debt of 500 billion VND. Sacombank Hai Duong branch has 30 customers affected with outstanding debt of 241.6 billion VND. Vietinbank Hai Duong branch has 75 customers affected with outstanding debt of more than 124 billion VND. BIDV Thanh Dong branch has 30 customers affected with outstanding debt of nearly 102 billion VND.

“Right after the storm passed, the leaders of the bank where we borrowed money visited us, encouraged us and committed to having appropriate support solutions. In the immediate future, the bank will review and reduce interest rates on damaged loans as well as calculate new loans without requiring additional collateral. Not only us but also the banks suffered damage caused by the storm. Therefore, the support solutions from the bank not only demonstrate the commitment to always accompany customers but also have practical value,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Hoc, Director of Nguyen Duc Cuong Trading One Member Co., Ltd. in Minh Duc Commune (Tu Ky).

Not only the banking industry, understanding and sharing the difficulties and damages caused by storm No. 3 to taxpayers, to join hands to support taxpayers to quickly overcome the consequences after the storm, soon stabilize production and business, the Provincial Tax Department has urgently reviewed regulations on tax exemption, reduction and extension policies due to the impact of natural disasters according to the provisions of tax law.

“On September 13, the Provincial Tax Department sent an open letter with detailed information to taxpayers; at the same time, it directed its affiliated agencies and units to urgently disseminate the policy to taxpayers. Taxpayers who suffered damage caused by storm No. 3 need to proactively prepare documents and submit them to the direct tax authority for consideration and settlement according to regulations,” said Mr. Vu Doan Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director of the Provincial Tax Department.

Tax management in the area has many businesses and taxpayers affected by storm No. 3 and flooding, Hai Duong City Tax Department has proactively conveyed information according to the open letter of the Provincial Tax Department to businesses and taxpayers.

The department's tax support team has received and answered dozens of questions online and by phone, providing guidance to taxpayers affected by storms and floods. The directly managing tax teams are also ready to directly support taxpayers in completing procedures for tax extension, exemption and reduction due to storms and floods.

“We will provide guidance and answer questions directly at the conference to disseminate tax policies organized by the department on the afternoon of September 20, 2024 to all production and business households that make tax declarations. The department's leaders will also coordinate with relevant levels and sectors to support the completion of related procedures and have a plan to receive and approve requests for tax extensions, exemptions, and reductions due to storms and floods,” said Mr. Vu Dang Khoa, Deputy Head of the Hai Duong City Tax Department.