Vietnam: The Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has proposed a reduction in its cement export tax to help ease the oversupply in the domestic market. In a recent report to the government, the MPI said that Vietnamese cement firms are seeking ways to deal with their large inventory. Under existing regulations cement is subject to an export tax of 5% and does not receive value added tax (VAT) refunds, meaning Vietnamese cement products have become less competitive than those of China, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. In response, the MPI has asked the government to slash the cement export tax and allow firms to benefit from VAT refunds for cement exports. The General Department of Customs statistics showed that, in 2016, Vietnam exported 14.7Mt of cement and clinker with a total value of US$560m. At present, cement supply in the Vietnamese market is around 20% higher than demand. The Vietnam Cement Association has forecast that the country s total cement output might reach 108Mt in 2018 and 120-130Mt in 2020, leading to an unsold inventory of 36-47Mt. /Source: Global Cement