Circular No. 9/TC-HCVX stipulates travel allowances for state workers and officials on domestic business trips.

CIRCULAR

OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

||| REGULATIONS ON THE SYSTEM OF BUSINESS TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES ON DOMESTIC BUSINESS TRIPS.

Recently, the old system of business travel allowance has become unsuitable. At the same time, there has been a situation where state employees on domestic business trips are hosted with meals, accommodation, and transportation expenses by the host organization (in some cases, hosting exceeds necessary levels). However, these employees still receive reimbursement for their business travel allowance from the dispatching agency, resulting in double funding from the State budget. This phenomenon is widespread and has caused negative public opinion among agencies, economic and social organizations, and the general public. To address this issue and implement the Resolution of the 9th National Assembly, Session 4, December 30, 1993, regarding "Practicing thrift, combating waste, corruption, and smuggling," while also creating conditions for state employees to complete their assigned tasks, the Ministry of Finance amends the domestic business travel allowance system as stipulated in Circular No. 9-TC/HCVX dated February 26, 1991.

2. Individuals who have registered as the principal investigator of a Research Project or Pilot Production Project and those participating in its implementation shall not participate in the Evaluation and Selection Council for that Research Project or Pilot Production Project (hereinafter referred to as the Council). In necessary cases, members of the Council may be staff members of the organization registering as the principal investigator of the Research Project or Pilot Production Project, but not more than one person and they cannot serve as Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or reviewing member.

1. Increase the business travel allowance subsidy for state employees to cover necessary expenses for meals, accommodation, and transportation during business trips that exceed those incurred when at home, and to prevent the host organization from having to bear additional costs.

2. Agencies and units have the responsibility to reasonably arrange for staff to go on business trips and strictly manage business travel expense expenditures. Agencies and units must arrange for business travel expenses within the annual approved state budget plan; the state budget will not provide additional funds to cover new business travel expense levels. Agencies and units must economize on unreasonable expenses for hospitality, conferences, asset purchases, and rearrange within the approved budget plan to fund the newly defined business travel expense levels under this Circular.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1. Business travel allowance is a payment made to state employees dispatched for domestic business trips to cover train and bus ticket fares for themselves and baggage transportation fees for work materials (if applicable); a business travel allowance subsidy for state employees during travel days and working days at the destination; and rental fees for accommodation at the destination.

2. The contents of business travel allowance expenses include: Train and bus ticket fares for travel from the agency to the destination; business travel allowance subsidy; rental fees for accommodation at the destination. These business travel allowance expenses are specified as follows:

a) Payment for train and bus tickets:

State employees traveling by state-owned, joint-stock, or private transportation means, provided they have valid and legal tickets, can be reimbursed according to the standard fare set by the state. In the case of air travel, approval from the unit or agency head is required, and only then can the cost of purchasing tickets be reimbursed.

State employees who self-fund their transportation for business trips can be reimbursed based on the actual kilometers traveled and the standard fare for state-owned passenger transport vehicles in the locality.

Reimbursement for train and bus tickets includes the fare for the employee's own tickets and baggage transportation fees for the business trip (if applicable) that the employee directly pays. If state employees travel by the agency's car, they cannot be reimbursed for train and bus tickets.

b) The business travel allowance subsidy includes travel allowance and lodging allowance, aimed at supplementing salaries to cover normal meal expenses (without alcohol or wine) for state employees traveling more than 30 kilometers from their office (for mountainous districts, it is 20 kilometers). The business travel allowance subsidy applies from the day the state employee starts the trip until the return, including allowances for travel days and working days at the destination (including Sundays, holidays, and festivals), as follows:

State employees traveling to plains and midlands regions receive a subsidy of 10,000 VND/day (previously 4,500 VND/day).

State employees traveling to highland, island, border, and remote areas receive a subsidy of 20,000 VND/day (previously 4,500 VND/day).

The following situations do not qualify for business travel allowance subsidies:

Time spent in hospitals, health stations, recuperation houses, or rest homes. Days off taken during business trips.

Days spent studying at long-term or short-term training schools, or days assigned to reside or be seconded to other locations or agencies.

c) In addition to the above subsidies, state employees are also reimbursed for accommodation rental fees at the destination. The amount for bed rental fees is reimbursed based on actual receipts but shall not exceed 50,000 VND/day.

III. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

1. The business travel allowance system stipulated in this Circular applies to administrative and service agencies. The reimbursement amounts are recorded under Item 72 "Business Travel Allowance" in the corresponding chapter, type, section, and category of the state budget ledger and are included in the annual expenditure standards.

For state enterprises, this business travel allowance system may be applied and recorded in production costs or circulation fees.

2. State employees who are temporarily advanced money to purchase train and bus tickets and cover business trip expenses must promptly settle the trip expenses to repay the advance. Employees dispatched on business trips are responsible for settling all meal and accommodation expenses for guesthouses or hotels at the destination. Agencies and units hosting employees on business trips are responsible for collecting all pre-paid expenses from the dispatched employees and must not use state budget funds for wasteful hospitality or gift-giving to state employees on business trips.

3. Financial authorities at all levels have the right to audit and adjust expenditures and final accounts quarterly and annually of agencies and units for food, accommodation, and other expenses that do not comply with this Circular. Those who order improper business travel allowance expenditures must compensate the treasury.

This Circular takes effect from March 1, 1994. All previous regulations on travel expenses issued by the Ministry of Finance that conflict with this Circular are hereby abolished. In the course of implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that agencies and units report to the Ministry of Finance for timely supplementation and amendment.

In the course of implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, it is recommended that agencies and units report to the Ministry of Finance for timely supplementation and amendment./.