Government to drop VAT on agricultural exports

01 Apr 2019 2134 | Business & Trade Fairs

Local firms will no longer be charged value-added tax (VAT) on exports of agricultural goods, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Friday.

The premier said dropping VAT charges on exports of agricultural products – including milled rice, corn, cassava, and pepper – will enhance the competitiveness of the agriculture and export sectors.

Mr Hun Sen announced the decision during Friday’s Government-Private Sector Forum.

Following discussions with representatives of private companies on the most pressing issues faced by the private sector, the premier said the Ministry of Economy and Finance will no longer levy the tax.

Mr Hun Sen, who chaired the forum, said this will help local companies, adding that growth in the agriculture sector has slowed down in recent years while production costs have changed unpredictably.

“From now until 2023, the government will assume VAT costs on the export of paddy rice, milled rice, corn, beans, pepper, cassava, cashew nuts, and rubber,” Mr Hun Sen said at the forum.