New policies become effective in December Fresh policies shall come into force in December, 2013 including the level of vocational training support for employees, three-level development of electricity market; ceiling level of deposit and labor markets, and new regulations on registration fee. Supporting employees PM’s Decision 55/2013/QD-TT, dated October 3, 2013 specifies the level of vocational training support for employees who receive unemployment benefits. Accordingly, the vocational training support for employees who receive unemployment benefits is calculated as follows: - For participants of training courses up to three months, the maximum support is VND 3 million per person per course; specific levels of support will be calculated on a monthly basis, depending on the job and the actual training time. - For participants of training courses more than three months, the maximum support is VND 600,000 per person per month; specific level of support will be calculated on a monthy basis, , depending on the job and the actual training time. For employees who receive unemployment benefits attending vocational training course with an apprenticeship cost exceeding the support level, the remaining financial cost of the vocational training support will be borne by the employees themselves. The duration of vocational training support depends on training time of each job and the needs of each employee, but is to be no more than six months.   Decision 55 shall take effect as from December 1, 2013.    Electricity market on the horizon Decision 63/2013/QD-TTg shall come into force on December 25, 2013, stipulating the roadmap, conditions and structure to formulate and develop an electricity market in Viet Nam. Accordingly, the power market will be formulated and develop in three levels.   The future electricity market will see the formation of a competitive power generation market by late 2014 as in the first phase. The second phase will focus on competitive power trading which will be piloted in 2015-16 before coming into being in 2017-21. In the third phase, a competitive retail sale power market will be operating on a trial basis in 2021-23 and officially run from 2023. Ceiling level of deposit and labor markets Circular 21/2013/TT-BLDTBXH, dated October 10, 2013 came into force on December 1, 2013, providing the ceiling level of deposit and labor markets in which service enterprises are entitled to make agreement on depositing with employees. Accordingly, the ceiling level of deposit depends on careers and receiving markets. The lowest level of US$ 300 is applied in Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Laos. Apprentices to Japan, golden card labors, visa E-7 holders and sailors of fishing vessels in the Republic of Korea are subjected to the the highest rate of US$ 3,000. New regulations on registration fee Circular 44/2013/TT-BTC amends and supplements Circular 34/2013-TT-BTC of the Ministry of Finance guiding registration fee. Accordingly,  for automobiles bearing diplomatic number plate, foreign number plate and international number plate transferred to other organizations or individuals in Viet Nam, the transferring organizations or individuals shall do procedures for declaration, submission of import tax, excise tax, value-added tax in accordance with regulations and payment of the registration fee at the rate for the first time (from 10% to 15%). Price to calculate the registration fee for this case shall be defined at time of declaration, submission of the registration fee as prescribed in Article 3 of the Circular No. 34/2013/TT-BTC. For automobiles bearing foreign number plate of which owners are foreigners of which the owners have declared and submit the registration fee at the rate of the first time upon registering the ownership and use right, now foreigners transfer these assets to other organizations or individuals in Viet Nam, the transferred organizations or individuals must declare and submit the registration fee upon registering for ownership and use right at the rate of 2%. The Circular took effect on December 1, 2013. Source: VGP