Quyết định 480/QD-TTg

DECISION

ON APPROVING THE ACCOUNTING - AUDIT STRATEGY UP TO 2020, WITH A VISION TILL 2030

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government, of December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 118/2008/ND-CP of November 27, 2008, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Finance;

At the proposal of the Minister of Finance,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve “The accounting - audit strategy up to 2020, with a vision till 2030” (a branching strategy of the Finance Strategy up to 2020 approved by the Prime Minister under the Decision No. 450/QD-TTg of April 18, 2012), with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS, GENERAL OBJECTIVES AND SPECIFIC TASKS

1. Viewpoints

a) Accounting – audit is an important economic management instrument, has the function in setting up the economic, financial and budget information system to service for economic management and decision of the state as well as each unit, organization and enterprise. Thus it is necessary to improve information quality; and set up full accounting and audit information system.

b) A synchronous system of solutions must be set up in order to promote accounting and audit development: From sufficient and exact recognition on the importance of accounting and audit instruments; completion of standard legal frame system, professional methods suitable with the developing economic market of Vietnam, integration with international common practices; stepping up management and supervision of activities, especially activities providing accounting and audit services; strengthening examination, supervision of law execution of units at grassroots levels; enhancing quality of human resources training and improving; organizing well information technology system to service for management and supervision of accounting and audit activities.

c) Strengthening and improving the state managing role in accounting and audit, especially in planning, implementation and examination of the accounting and audit law execution, in examination and supervision of accounting and audit activities in national economy.

2. Overall objectives

a) Setting up a accounting and audit system that is complete and suitable with the management mechanism of Vietnam state and developing regional and world accounting and audit professional operations aiming to satisfy information requirements for management, administration, inventory and control of economic resources and national economic – finance activities.

b) Building and developing a legal framework system of accounting and audit on the basis of research and absorbing of fundamental international common practices into specific conditions of Vietnam, creating fully, close and suitable legal environment in order to improve accounting and audit development, and concurrently in order to closely manage and improve the occupational quality and ethic.

c) Improving State’s roles and management capacity on accounting and audit, stepping up the management and supervision of accounting and audit activities; inspecting, supervising the execution of laws on accounting and audit as well as activities of practicing accounting and audit aiming to promote the occupational management, support for development of accounting and audit service market.

d) Developing strong human resource in accounting and audit sector which keeps pace with developing countries in the region on both of quality and quantity.

e) Strengthening the relationship and cooperation with international accounting and audit organizations, setting up a close relationship and mutual recognition between Vietnam and other countries in the region and in the world.

3. Specific tasks

a) Improving the quality of Economic – Financial – Budget information system through completion and strict implementation of legal documents as Accounting Law, Law on Independent Audit; updating and completing the accounting and audit standard systems to be suitable with innovation of international standards and meet requirement on the market economic management of Vietnam; completing and setting up a sufficient legal framework on examination of executing accounting and audit law; management and supervision of activities as well as the accounting and audit market.

b) Strengthening the state management on accounting and audit on the basis of renewal of operation mechanism, strengthening forces for the state accounting and audit management agencies of the Ministry of Finance, and improving quality of occupational management suitable with international common practices, having a close combination between state managing agencies and occupational organizations; concurrently, setting up a mechanism and system of state examination and supervision for quality of accounting and audit of information in financial statements of units, enterprises and organization, and through that, improving the supervision of financial statement quality, ensuring the truthfulness, reasonability, transparency, and strict handling of mistakes and violations in making and presenting financial statements.

c) Strongly developing the accounting - audit service market, fast increasing the quantity of enterprises providing accounting and audit services and the quantity of practicing auditors and accountants; expanding the domestic and international markets providing accounting and audit services; improving quality of accounting and audit services; diversifying products of accounting and audit services to meet requirement on management of national economy.

d) Developing human resources of accounting and audit with sufficient quantity and assured quality on the basis of effective implementation of contents: to innovate and strengthen the training and improving work,  concurrently combine between advanced training and improving in specialized branches and training the cultural qualification aiming to create a high-quality human resource. Building standard programs and document sets in conformity with international common practices on training, improving and taking exams for professional certificates of accounting and audit.

e) Strengthening international integration, building close relationship and mutual recognition between Vietnam and other countries in the region, in the world and international organizations; participating as formal member of international professional organizations; proactively participating in formulation of international financial settlement standards, international public accounting standards, international audit standards through forums in the region and in the world.

Strengthening organization of information system through setting up online information connect system among levels, sectors with superior and subordinate accounting units; enterprises providing accounting and audit services; organizing and developing websites of agencies managing and supervising professional organizations, and toward the online registration and management of practicing.

II. SOLUTIONS TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGY

1. To complete legal documents on accounting and audit

a) For the accounting field: submitting to the National Assembly for amending, supplementing the Law on Accounting in the direction of maximally approaching international principles and in conformity with conditions and situation of Vietnam. On that basis, reviewing, supplementing and completing legal documents guiding on regimes in state accounting, enterprises accounting including accounting of credit institutions, insurance enterprises, securities companies, fund management agencies and state financial funds, investment funds of economic members and financial organizations with particular activities.

b) For the Law on independent audit: promulgating documents guiding on independent audit, process of and procedures for grant of the Certificates of business eligibility for audit enterprises, Certificates of practicing for auditors; acceptance for audit enterprises to perform audit of financial statements of units with public benefit; regulations on quality examination and supervision apply to the audit enterprises and the auditors practicing.

c) Formulating a Decree on sanctioning administrative violations in accounting and audit in accordance with Law on handling of administrative violations that ensures conformity with the Accounting Law, Law on Independent Audit.

2. Formulating and promulgating the accounting and audit standards of Vietnam that are suitable with international common practices and conditions of Vietnam.

a) For the accounting field: to update and formulate new enterprise accounting standards. Of which, during 2012-2015, complete updating of 26 promulgated accounting standards; during 2016-2020, fully formulate and promulgate the remaining accounting standards; concurrently, consider guidance on application of standards used by particular enterprises.

b) For the independent audit field: to evaluate applications of 37 new audit standards (promulgated for execution in 2013); during 2013-2015, to research the additional updating of the remaining accounting standards; during 2016-2020, further update the international audit standards, ensure compliance with international audit standards.

3. To develop the accounting and audit service market:

a) Directing all subjects that are forced to audit financial statements in implementation of audit mechanism; concurrently, encouraging expansion of subjects for implementation of independent audit aiming to improve disclosure, transparency of economic and financial activities.

b) Expanding the quality and quantity scale of independent audit enterprises, enterprises providing accounting services through completion of mechanism and practicing conditions; enhancing the contingent of auditors and enhancing the examination of accounting and audit service quality.

c) Developing accounting and audit service market through participating in international agreements and mutual recognition for auditors practicing in ASEAN and between Vietnam and countries such as England, Australia, etc and other countries.

4. To strengthen examination and supervision of executing law, standards and regimes on accounting and audit

a) Strengthening examination, supervision of accounting and audit activities in the national economy.

b) Performing disclosure and transparency on economic and financial situation of agencies, units, enterprises and economic organizations.

c) Setting up self-management mechanism for professional organizations; improving professional ethic.

5. To consolidate the organization of state managing agency apparatus on accounting and audit

a) Re-evaluating position, roles, functions, tasks of units of the Ministry of Finance in management and supervision on accounting, audit.

b) Formulating scheme to consolidate organization of apparatus managing and supervising accounting and audit to submit to competent authorities for consideration and decision in the direction of enhancing position and improving tasks and functions of state management on accounting and audit.

c) Strengthening the work of training and fostering officers in charge of state management on accounting and audit

6. To step up development of the accounting and audit professional organizations in country to become self-managing organizations.

The promotion for development of the accounting and audit professional organizations in country is implemented in direction of gradually expanding and considering in order to transfer affairs under state management functions to professional organizations (VAA, VACPA), such as: drafting, updating accounting and audit standards, holding the exams for auditors and accountants in practicing, ..Striving by 2020, professional organizations of Vietnam may actually become the self-management professional organizations with full functions, tasks and organized operation as other international accounting professional organizations, aiming to strengthen the development and enhance the effectiveness of activities and roles of professional associations in Financial, Accounting and Audit service fields.

7. To strengthen expansion of international relationship and corporation, improve position of Vietnam accounting and audit.

a) Strengthening relationship with international professional organizations on accounting and audit in researching and exchanging experiences and learning content and method of state management on accounting and audit. Studying models of developed countries in order to apply to Vietnam in formulating the accounting and audit professional techniques; developing the accounting and audit services; models of training, holding exams, grant of accounting and audit practicing certificates.

b) Using the help of international professional organizations on accounting and audit; non-governmental organizations in supporting projects on studying and performing reforms on accounting and audit.

c) In the next years, after completing announcement of legal framework on accounting and audit, it needs further strengthen the international corporation relationship, support of professional associations in fulfilling roles of member in organizations such as International Federation of Accounting (IFAC), ASEAN Federation of Accountants (AFA) and Confederation of Asia and Pacific Accountants (CAPA).

8. To develop human resources

a) Improving quality of staff, service through stepping up the training, updating of knowledge under the suitable forms on the basis of absorbing international common practices in specific conditions of Vietnam.

b) Innovating the model of training, holding exams and grant of certificates of practicing accountants and auditors in direction of training and holding exams according to credits for grant of such certificates; concurrently expanding and strengthening quantity of exams for the practicing accountants, the notarized accountants, auditors.

c) Strengthening the application of modern information technologies and methods, profession standardization and professionalization.

d) Having suitable mechanisms to recruit specialists and experienced persons on accounting and audit in agencies managing and supervising the accounting and audit practicing; agencies issuing the accounting and audit standards and the studying agencies.

9. Building information system that meets requirement on management on the basis of modern technologies through building a strong-enough system connecting online information in State managing agencies under accounting and audit field; Building a data bank to manage and supervise the accounting and audit practicing; connecting information between superior and subordinate units in order to ensure the consolidation of financial statements of whole system.

Article 2. Responsibilities for organization and implementation of the strategy

1. The Ministry of Finance shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for and organize the implementation of the strategy; approve and direct the implementation of the contents in strategy according to each period;

b/ Guide and urge Ministries, agencies and localities within their assigned functions and tasks in formulation and implementation of programs and contents relating to the Strategy;

c/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related Ministries and localities in implementation of the Strategy; annually and periodically every five years, review, assess and draw experiences from the implementation of the Strategy;

d/ Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant agencies in, proposing and submitting the Prime Minister for decision on adjustment of objectives and contents of Strategy in necessary case.

2. Ministries, Ministerial-level agencies, Government-attached agencies and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies in, on the basis of their state management functions and tasks as prescribed by law, directing and participating in the implementation of relevant contents of this strategy.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of Ministerial-level agencies, heads of Government-attached agencies and chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities shall implement this Decision.