The Ministry of Finance has just issued the Circular No. 80/2022/TT-BTC dated December 30, 2022 guiding the norms of using funds from the state budget and financial management regulations for investment promotional activities.

According to the Circular, the funding sources for investment promotion activities are regulated as follows:

- The source of recurrent expenditure of the central budget for the implementation of national investment promotion activities, investment promotion activities of ministries and central agencies.

- The source of recurrent expenditure of the local budget to carry out local investment promotion activities according to the decentralization of the state budget.

- The contributions of participating organizations and businesses;

- The sponsorship of domestic and foreign organizations and individuals;

- The funding for integration in programs and projects approved by competent authorities;

- Other lawful funding sources as prescribed by law.

Regarding spending content and spending levels, the Circular stipulates as follows:

- Expenses for research on potentials, markets, trends and investment partners: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 55/2015/TTLT-BTC-BKHCN dated April 22, 2015 of the inter-Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science and Technology shall guide the norms for the construction, allocation of estimates and settlement of funds for science and technology tasks funded with the state budget.

- Expenses for implementation of information technology projects to build, upgrade, operate and maintain information systems and databases in service of investment promotion activities; building, operating and maintaining portals and websites on investment promotion from recurrent expenditures of the state budget: Comply with regulations on investment management and application of information technology using state budget capital, the current documents on information technology application spending and economic - technical norms in the field of information and communications.

- Expenses for training, improving capacity and skills on investment promotion: Expenditure content and spending levels are as prescribed in Circular No. 36/2018/TT-BTC dated March 30 2018 of the Ministry of Finance guiding the estimation, management, use and settlement of funds for training and retraining of cadres and civil servants.

- Expenses for organizing the forum; conference; seminar; investment promotion seminars; organizing dialogues between agencies, organizations, enterprises and investors:

+ Organizations in the country: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 40/2017/TT-BTC dated April 28, 2017 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the regime of working-trip allowances and conference expenses.

In case of organizing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 71/2018/TT-BTC dated August 10, 2018 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the regime of receiving foreign guests working in Vietnam, the regime of spending on organizing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam and the mode of receiving domestic guests.

+ Organizations in foreign countries: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 102/2012/TT-BTC dated June 21, 2012 of the Ministry of Finance regulating the regime of working-trip allowances for State cadres and officials on short-term business trips funded by the State budget.

Spending on organizing survey and research delegations at home and abroad; Investment promotion working groups according to specific topics or partners:

+ In case of domestic organization: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 40/2017/TT-BTC dated April 28, 2017 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the regime of working-trip allowances and conference expenses.

+ In case of overseas organization: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 102/2012/TT-BTC dated June 21, 2012 of the Ministry of Finance regulating the regime of working-trip allowances for State cadres and officials on short-term business trips funded by the State budget.

- Document translation expenses: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 71/2018/TT-BTC dated August 10, 2018 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the regime of receiving foreign guests to work in Vietnam, spending on organizing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam and receiving domestic guests.

- Expenditure contents: Building image, propagating, promoting and introducing the environment, policies and laws on investment, potentials, opportunities and investment connection on the domestic and foreign mass media; supporting, guiding and facilitating investment activities; developing publications and documents for investment promotion activities; providing information and guiding investors to carry out investment procedures and administrative procedures related to investment: Comply with the provisions of Circular No. 18/2021/TT-BTTTT dated November 30, 2021 of the Ministry of Information and Communications promulgating economic - technical norms for the activities of print and electronic newspapers; the Circular No. 42/2020/TT-BTTTT dated December 31, 2020 of the Ministry of Information and Communications promulgating economic - technical norms for publishing activities; economic - technical norms, unit prices promulgated by competent authorities and current regulations and spending norms of the State. For the above expenditures, heads of agencies assigned to assume the prime responsibility for performing the decision-making task and taking responsibility before law for their decisions.

- Based on the requirements of tasks and balancing capacity of the local budget, the provincial-level People's Councils shall decide on the contents and levels of other specific expenditures in the locality in addition to the regimes in Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of this Article to carry out investment promotion activities specified in Articles 88 and 89 of Decree No. 31/2021/ND-CP dated March 26, 2021 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Investment Law, ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Law on State Budget.

This Circular takes effect from February 16, 2023.