Actively accompany the business

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Leaders of CaiMep Port Customs Branch, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department exchange with enterprises on the sidelines of a business consultation conference held in 2019. Photo: Nguyen Hue.

Promptly remove problems

From itsfirst years of establishment, the Department of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs has made great efforts to research and grasp the practical situation to propose authorities issue policies creatingfavourable conditions for oil and gas exploration. This is a high-tech industry, modern and complex technology, requiring Customs officials and enterprises to have close coordination in the provision of documents, technical documents, and inspection of goods.

In recent years, import-export activities in Ba Ria-Vung Tau have been increasingly active, the annual cargo flow through the port has increased very high, attracting many investors in industrial parks, and the types of import-export are increasing, so customs procedures are very diverse. In addition, customs laws are constantly improved in a simple and convenient manner based on risk management. The difficulties and problems of enterprises in the work of customs inspection and supervision and tax policy are all concernsofthe Department of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs to solve or report authorities quickly under regulations of the law, creating favourable conditions for businesses in the process of doing import and export procedures.

Huynh TrongBinh, Deputy Head of Purchasing Department of Vina Kyoei Steel Company, said that at the end of 2018, early 2019, steel enterprises in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province facedmany difficulties in import scrap policy. The authority allowedBa Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department to support businesses and connect businesses with the General Department of Customs to resolve together. With the support of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department, it has made an important contribution to helping steel enterprises overcome difficulties and stabiliseproduction.

Duong HuuThang, General Director of Long PhuLogistics Company, said officials of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department always followed enterprises' activities, so when importing new products, enterprises were timely advised about HS codes, if any problems arise, the sub-departments are invited to discuss to find ways to solve them. This has created convenience and peace of mind for businesses when doing customs procedures.

Development of Customs - business partners

Along with the reform of customs procedures towards simplicity, convenience and ease of implementation, every year, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department also measures clearance time and release goods for controlling time of customs clearance. Besides, the unit regularly propagandises, disseminates, supports and provides information to customs declarants and taxpayers via the website on the internet; through conferences, symposiums and activities of on-site consultancy groups; consultation activities, and public listing of documents at customs offices and locations.

In addition, to accompany businesses effectively, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department attaches special importance to the annual key task of building a regular group of Customs - business partners and related parties. From 2017 to now, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department has signed an agreement on cooperation and development of regular partnerships with a chapter (with nearly 20 members being import-export enterprises), 15 import-export enterprises and twocustoms agents. Thereby, the department and its partners regularly exchange and coordinate to better support the business community in implementing customs procedures, improving the efficiency of administrative procedure reform as well as reforming the Customs sector towardsmodernisation.

With many efforts in attracting and supporting enterprises of Customs, import-export activities in Ba Ria-Vung Tau are increasingly active. The statistical results of the import-export activities in the last fiveyears (2014-2019) show the total number of declarations, immigration means and import-export turnover in Ba Ria-Vung Tau has had a strong growth compared to the previous time. Specifically, the number of immigration vehicles reached 25,415, an increase of 162 percent, the total of import and export declarations reached 550,895, up 262 percent, import and export turnover reached US$130 billion, up 108 percent. Besides, the result of budget revenue also increased corresponding to the revenue reached 94,379 billion VND, up 136 percent compared to the previous five-year period.