VN Finance Ministry  seeks tax hike on  petroleum, plastic bags 

The draft will be submitted for approval to the government in June and to the National Assembly in October.
The draft also calls for E5 biofuel and E10 ethanol-blend fuel to be subject to environmental-protection taxes of 2,700-7,200 and 2,500-6,800 dong per litre respectively, though the products are considered cleaner and environmentally friendly than other fuels.
Plastic bags are also expected to see higher environmental taxes, rising from 30,000-50,000 dong to 40,000-80,000 dong per kilogram if the draft is approved. – Viet Nam News

Daily Eleven takes 
illegal traders to task
for problems and losses 
Illegal trading has caused unwanted problems and losses for Myanmar companies trading with neighbouring countries, according to the Daily Eleven in its editorial piece “No backdoor route for illegal goods”.
The paper quoted Planning and Finance Minister Kyaw Win as saying that the official process to crack down on illegal trading had started and cooperation would be sought from the military and ethnic armed groups in order to secure legal trading routes.
The minister met with business leaders on Friday at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon.
“Illegal trading has caused unwanted problems and losses for firms trading with neighbouring countries. Any effort to clamp down on illegal trading should be welcomed, although there is a long road ahead,” the editorial said.
“Illegal trading causes huge losses for legal businesses and for the whole nation. No taxes are received from the illegal trading. The illegally imported items are often dangerous and cause social problems.
“Most overland trade is with China and Thailand, with large amounts of rice, corn, beans, sesame seeds and sugar heading to China through Muse. But teak and jade are also illegally smuggled into China. The Daily Eleven welcomes this crackdown, as corruption should never be tolerated.” – Myanmar Eleven

AirAsia boosts flights 
to Mandalay from
Bangkok to twice daily 
Thai AirAsia says it will increase the frequency of flights between Don Mueang International Airport and Mandalay in Myanmar to twice a day starting on March 17.
 Santisuk Klongchaiya, director of commercial for Thai AirAsia, said the airline’s direct flights to Myanmar had grown in popularity as Thai people travel to that country to pay homage to its holy sites. 
Major cities such as Mandalay have tourist attractions that include Shwenandaw Monastery, the holy Mahamuni Buddha Temple and Ubeng Bridge as well as easy travel to the land of 4,000 pagodas, Bagan. Acknowledging this growth potential, AirAsia has decided to provide more opportunities for travel for both Thai and international travellers.
Thai AirAsia currently flies to various destinations within the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) region. It flies twice daily to Phnom Penh and once a day to Siem Reap in Cambodia, and once daily to Vientiane and to Luang Prabang in Laos. To Myanmar, it offers four flights daily to Yangon and two daily to Mandalay. To Vietnam, it has three flights daily to Ho Chi Minh City and two daily to Hanoi, 
Altogether, it serves eight destinations served with more than 19 flights a day, making the airline the leader in its expansive CLMV network.
Thai AirAsia’s latest flight to Mandalay is being launched with a special promotional fare starting at Bt1,290 per trip available for booking from now until January 29 for travel from March 17 to October 28.–The Nation