HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam will abolish a duty exemption for low-cost imported goods from Feb 18, the government said on Saturday, in a move targeted at e-commerce platforms.
Such imports worth less than 1 million dong ($39.37) had been free of duty since 2010, but a decision on Friday, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc scraps the exemption, the government said in a statement.
The decision follows a call from parliament in November for the move. ($1=25,400 dong)
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese capital Hanoi topped the list of the world’s most polluted city on Friday, according to media reports.
Data from AirVisual, an independent provider of global air pollution figures, showed the PM2.5 concentration in the air was "currently 13.2 times” the World Health Organisation’s annual guideline value.
PM2.5 measures the levels of hazardous small particles in the air.
As the air quality was "unhealthy,” the air quality index (AQI) turned brown to 309 in some places.
The AQI has a range between zero to 500 - the higher the number, the greater the pollution and health impacts it has.
AirVisual has advised people in Hanoi to avoid outdoor exercise, opt to close their windows to avoid dirty outdoor air and wear a mask outdoors.
