News

• 01 October, 2020
• Posted by: EuroCham Cambodia

With the COVID-19 situation continuing to impact Cambodia, EuroCham will be regularly disseminating the official announcements from the Royal Government to ensure our network is updated as efficiently as possible. 

Due to the significant number of incoming announcements, we are unable to translate these in full so please refer to our summaries below and the attached official notices in Khmer.

Official Announcements: 11 September - 01 October

(English summaries provided by EuroCham Cambodia, subject to corrections by relevant authorities)

1. The Royal Government of Cambodia Guidance on Additional Measures to Further Manage the Impacts on Key Economic Sectors – 6th round of measures  

On 30 September, The Royal Government released a guidance outlining its 6th round of support measures to further manage the impacts on key economic sectors in the difficult context and restore and promote Cambodia’s economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The 6th round of measures developed in consultation with all stakeholders are as follows: 

Measures to support garment/textile, footwear, travel accessory, bag, and tourism industries   

• Continue to provide financial support in an amount of 40 US dollars per month for each worker who works in the garment/textile, footwear, travel accessory, bag and tourism industries for three more months until the end of December 2020. 
• Continue to provide financial support in an amount of 40 US dollars per month for each worker who works in the tourism industry, such as hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and travel agents for three more months until the end of December 2020 
• Continue to exempt all kinds of monthly taxes for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and travel agencies registered with the General Department of Taxation and carrying out their businesses in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Kep, Kampot, Bavet and Poi Pet for three more months from October to December 2020.  
• Continue to delay the compulsory payment of social security funds on pensions until the end of 2020. 
• The exemption from patent tax and signage tax, and the delay in 2020 comprehensive audits by the General Department of Taxation for travel agents and operators in other tourism-related industries.  

Measures to Support Aviation Sector 

• Continue to exempt minimum tax for three more months from October to December 2020 for the airline companies registered in Cambodia.
• Continue to delay the payment of owed amount of the civil aviation fees for two more months until the end of December 2020. 

Cash Relief Programme for Poor and Vulnerable Families 

• Continue to roll out the cash relief programme for poor and vulnerable families during the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for three more months from October to December 2020. 

2. Ministry of Economy and Finance Circular on​ the ​Delay in Implementation of Transitional Penalties on Violations of the Law on Accounting and Auditing 

On 11 September, the Ministry of Economy and Finance issued the Circular no. 007 to delay the implementation of the Sub-Decree No. 079 on Transitional Penalties on Violations of the Law on Accounting and Auditing for 1 (one) year from the date of this circular (11 September 2020). The delay only applies to corporate or individuals registered under the Ministry of Commerce and/or the General Department of Taxation as large or medium tax payers, and non-profit organisations. 

3. General Department of Taxation Announcement on the Delay of Property Tax Payment for 2020  

On 25 September, the General Department of Taxation notified that the payment of property tax for 2020 will be delayed until 31 October 2020. This postponement was made after the General Department of Taxation​ noticed that some property owners have not yet fulfilled their tax obligations. According to the laws and regulations, the taxpayer is obliged to pay the property tax by 30 September of each year, the latest.

4. General Department of Taxation on Delaying the Implementation Deadline for E-Filing System 

On 22 September, the General Department of Taxation issued an announcement to inform that the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in response to the request from private sector, has delayed the implementation deadline of the E-Filing system until the end of 2020. The E-Filing system will be implemented from 1 January 2021 onward so that enterprises have more time to prepare to effectively use the system.  

In the meantime, taxpayers who have not prepared for the E-Filing system, can declare their monthly tax through the current tax declaration form and continue using Online-VAT Refund and Online-VAT Credit systems following Decision No. 001 issued on 09 January 2019 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Furthermore, taxpayers who have started using the E-Filing system can continue using this system as usual. 

5. Ministry of Commerce Notification on Name Reservation of Company or Enterprise

On 01 October, the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification related to the procedures of reserving name of a newly established company or enterprise. The Ministry notified that applicants can apply for business registration through online by completing the application form for registration of a company, enterprise, together with the name of company or enterprise at the same time, or can request to reserve the name in advance in order to apply for business registration later. The notification outlines that applicants can only reserve 3 names at a time, each of which will be valid for a period of 2-week. In case the reserved name passes the 2-week period, the applicants can extend the validity of this name reservation for another 2 weeks. This extension can only be made once, and applicants must apply for it at least one day before the expiry date. 

6. Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Notification on the Provision of Subsidised Allowances to Employees in the Garment Sector (round 31) 

On 21 September, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training confirmed that 3,209 employees from 3 suspended factories of the garment sector will receive a message from Wing Specialized Bank about the subsidised allowance. Employees can withdraw the allowance at any branch of the nearest Wing agents by bringing their Khmer ID card and phone number. There will be no service fee required for the withdrawal. 

7. Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training Notification on the Provision of Subsidised Allowances to Employees in the Garment and Tourism Sectors (round 30) 

On 21 September, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training confirmed that 9,232 employees from 55 suspended enterprises and factories of the garment and tourism sectors will receive a message from Wing Specialized Bank about the subsidised allowance. Employees can withdraw the allowance at any branch of the nearest Wing agents by bringing their Khmer ID card and phone number. There will be no service fee required for the withdrawal.