Member Articles
Cambodia: Additional Measures to Support Private Sector Workers & Revive the Post-COVID-19 Economy (Round 9) On 29 June 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) implemented ‘Round 9’ of measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and workers in Cambodia. The RGC noted that COVID-19 situation continues to evolve alarmingly with the recent mutation of the virus, which has added socio-economic pressures to many countries around the world... |
Thai Government Considers Tax Incentives, Long Term Visas, Property Rights and More to Entice Wealthy Foreign Nationals to Thailand According to an anonymous source, a ‘Centre for Economic Situation Administration’ (“CESA”) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was held on Friday 4 June that approved (in-principle) a set of proposed stimulus measures aimed at encouraging wealthy expatriates to Thailand... |
Thailand’s SEC Cracks Down on Trading of Cryptocurrencies Such as DogeCoin and Non-Fungible Tokens Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Board on 11 June 2021 approved new rules prohibiting the trading on national exchange platforms of utility tokens and certain types of ‘novelty’ cryptocurrencies such as DogeCoin, SafeMoon or MonaCoin. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Notification No. Kor Thor. 18/2564 Re: Rules, Conditions and Procedures for Undertaking Digital Asset Businesses (No... |
Vietnam: COVID-19 & Employee’s Entitlements – Key Considerations In light of the continuing Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam and various regulations issued by the Government and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (“MOLISA”), some key considerations remain with respect to employee entitlements that employers must address and make due preparations for, as outlined below: 1... |
Thailand’s First Initial Coin Offering Using Real Estate Backed Security Tokens Approved by the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission Expected to Raise THB 2.4 billion On 22 May 2021, SPV77 Co. Ltd., a special purpose entity set up to issue and offer Siri Hub Investment Digital Tokens (“SIRIHUB”) to investors secured approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the country’s first Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”). The first ICO approval by the SEC follows three years of legal changes starting with the passage of the Emergency Decree on Digital Asset Business Operation B.E. 2561 (2018)... |
Cambodia: Official Fees on E-Commerce Permits and Licenses JOINT PRAKAS 315 AND 316 ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE, dated 12 May 2021 The Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued a new announcement (“Announcement”) on the Granting of E-Commerce Permits and Licenses on 26 May 2021. Eligible applicants may now apply for e-commerce permits or licenses with immediate effect from the MOC through an online portal – www.ecommercelicensing.moc.gov... |
Thai Cabinet Approves Ministerial Regulation Authorizing Personal Vehicle Registrations for Ride-Hailing Applications On Tuesday 25 May 2021 at its regular weekly meeting, the Thai Cabinet approved the Department of Land Transport’s draft Ministerial Regulation (“Regulation”) that will open the way for ride-hailing companies to register for an operating license. This will allow drivers to register their personal vehicles (with a maximum capacity of seven people) as taxis to be used with such ride-hailing applications... |
COVID-19 Government Initiatives & Support in Asia – June 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause unprecedented disruption in Asia with lockdowns currently in place in Bangladesh and the Lao PDR Meanwhile, various restrictions continue to affect Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam resulting in continued economic uncertainty and delays in re-opening borders for travel and business purposes... |
Share Transfers in a Cambodian Entity – 5 Critical Tax Issues You Need To Know! 2021 has continued to see steady activity with respect to acquisitions and re-structuring of businesses in the Cambodian market. There are a number of factors at the forefront of this activity, not least the pending capital gains tax implementation date of 1 January 2022, bargain hunting of distressed assets, and internal re-structuring of multi-national organizations, to name a few... |
Thailand Makes Changes to Penalty Interest Rates Charged on Loan Repayments that go Into Default On 10 April 2021, the Thai Government announced an Emergency Decree Amending the Civil and Commercial Code 2021 (“CCC”) that was published in the Royal Gazette (the “Emergency Decree”) and became effective the next day on 11 April 2021... |
Taxation of E-Commerce in Southeast Asia The digital transformation experienced over the last number of years has resulted in unprecedented global economic and societal changes. This has resulted in global debates around international tax and the digital economy and whether the existing international tax rules, developed in a “brick-and-mortar” economic environment more than a century ago, remain appropriate for the modern global economy... |
COVID-19 Government Initiatives & Support in the Lao PDR With the continuation of the Prime Minister’s orders on measures for COVID-19 prevention and control until 4 June 2021, we have pulled together a guide on some of the current Government initiatives and support available to businesses in the Lao PDR. In our guide, we provide details on: Banking & Finance: The latest credit policies and guidelines for commercial banks and financial institutions... |
Cambodia: COVID-19 & Employee's Entitlements -- Key Considerations In light of the continuing COVID-19 outbreak in Cambodia and the various regulations issued by the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”), there are certain key considerations with respect to employee entitlements that employers will need to be prepared and address, as outlined below. 1... |
Thailand: COVID-19 – Vaccination & Related Implications The third wave of COVID-19 is now spreading all over Thailand. The rise in confirmed numbers of cases and deaths has been reported by the Centre for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (“CCSA”). In response to the outbreak, the Ministry of Public Health announced a vaccination plan which ultimately aims to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections by having around 50 million people (roughly 70% of the population) in Thailand vaccinated by the end of the year... |
[Infographic] Key Considerations & Issues on COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in the Lao PDR As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out in the Lao PDR we take this opportunity to answer some of the key questions that are being raised by employers and employees. In our publication and at our upcoming live event, our labor experts outline the rights and obligations of employers and employees when it comes to vaccination in the Lao PDR. Get your answers by downloading the publication and by attending our 20-minute webinar... |
Cambodia: Monthly Legal Update – April 2021 New Promulgated Law and Subsequent Regulations on Health, Administrative and Other Measures during Covid-19 Outbreak In response to the recent community outbreak of Covid-19 on 20 February 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) promulgated and issued a number of regulations, specifically: Law on Preventative Measures against the Spread of Covid-19 and other Highly Contagious Diseases dated 11 March 2021 (“Preventative Measures Law”); Sub-Decree 37 dated 12 Ma |
Thai Finance Ministry Approves Additional THB 3.04 Billion for the Rao Chana (‘We Win’) Stimulus Program for At-risk Communities Affected by COVID-19 On Tuesday 19 April, at its weekly cabinet meeting, the Thai Government approved the Finance Ministry’s request for an additional THB 3.04 billion in funding for its Rao Chana (‘We Win’) stimulus program and extended its duration by one more month until 30 June 2021. This program initially allocated with THB 210.20 billion in funding was launched earlier this year with the intention of providing one-off handouts of THB 7,000 to eligible applicants covering roughly 31... |
[Infographic] Lao PDR – Data Protection Issues During the COVID-19 Control Measures Quick and easily accessible guide for human resource and compliance professionals in the Lao PDR to understand the local data protection requirements. This DFDL infographic provides general guidance to HR and compliance departments as to the different steps employers should consider while collecting, monitoring and storing employees’ personal data to prevent or manage the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace... |
Cambodia: Ministry of Labour & Vocational Training Issues Guidance on Paying Wages During the Lockdown On 19 April 2021, the MLVT issued ‘Instruction 043 concerning the Payment of Wages for Early April (2021) and Additional Allowances for Employees in the Garment, Enterprise, Handicraft and Business sectors during the Phnom Penh and Takmao city lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19’ (“Instruction”). The Instruction states that the temporary lockdown measures in Phnom Penh and Takmao City should be regarded as the de facto suspension of employment... |
Cambodia: GDT Facilitates Online Document Submission Notification no. 7179 GDT dated 18 April 2021 (“Notification 7179”) from the General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) provides procedures for the submission of scanned application forms, administrative letters, other documents or tax returns to the GDT, including tax branches in Phnom Penh and the provinces, via online (E-Document Submission System)... |
Cambodia: Extension of Due Date for March Monthly Tax Returns & Payments Notification no. 7175 GDT dated 16 April 2021 (“Notification 7175”) from the General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) provides an extension of the due date for the March 2021 monthly tax returns and payment. Key Takeaway For taxpayers whose businesses are prohibited to operate under Decision No. 49 the deadline for the March 2021 monthly tax payment and return submission has been extended to 15 May 2021... |
Cambodia: VAT on Non-Resident E-Commerce Providers In an increasingly interconnected world facilitated by the rise of global digital commerce a number of gaps have been exposed in the tax systems of countries with perhaps one of the most significant issues being the difficulties in collecting tax from those providing digital goods and services without a physical presence in the jurisdiction where those goods and services are consumed... |
Cambodia: New Transaction Amounts - Know Your Customer Procedures for Financial Institutions and Payment Service Providers Pursuant to the Prakas on Launching the Use Rules and Procedures of Bakong System dated 26 June 2020 and the Prakas on Management of Payment Service Providers dated 14 June 2017, the National Bank of Cambodia (“NBC”) has determined transaction amounts and KYC procedures for financial institutions and payment service providers (“PSP”) in Cambodia... |
Cambodia: New Transaction Amounts & Know Your Customer Procedures for Financial Institutions & Payment Service Providers Pursuant to the Prakas on Launching the Use Rules and Procedures of Bakong System dated 26 June 2020 and the Prakas on Management of Payment Service Providers dated 14 June 2017, the National Bank of Cambodia (“NBC”) has determined transaction amounts and KYC procedures for financial institutions and payment service providers (“PSP”) in Cambodia... |
Key Considerations & Issues on COVID-19 Vaccine Rollouts Across Southeast Asia – Top 10 Q&A The opening year of this decade was sadly and tumultuously marked by the many public health challenges, travel restrictions, border closures, fears and economic hardship brought on by the coronavirus pandemic across the globe... |
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