Ba Ria – Vung Tau Customs: Actively supporting enterprises for nursing revenue sources

The consultations of BR-VT Customs Department always attract attentions of many enterprises. In the picture: a consultation about importing scraps for import – export enterprises, shipping agents and port enterprises at Cai Mep port. Photo: Nguyễn Huế.

Strengthen cooperation partners

A bright spot in supporting enterprises of BR-VT Customs Department is the development of Customs-Business partnerships. In order to build a good cooperative relationship with enterprises in the area, BR-VT Customs Department has established a list of key enterprises in the area, including: A group of enterprises with a large number of customs declarations and a large amount of payable tax into state budget in the area; group of enterprises that are greatly affected by changes in regulations (port and warehousing enterprises); group of import-export and transit service enterprises. Thereby, the Department has built up appropriate partnership activities for each group of businesses.

In 2018, the import of scraps as production materials was an issue that has received the concern of the whole sector, thus BR-VT Customs Department has built partnerships with port, warehousing enterprises and shipping agents. The Department has asked their Branches to organize a conference at branch level, with the above units in order to coordinate in the process of implementing regulations related to the import of scraps, and for handling backlogged goods that are scraps at the seaports in the area.

Also, regarding to supporting businesses for imported scrap products, at the end of 2018, facing the situation of steel manufacturing enterprises in the province, facing delayed production and causing huge losses due to the influence of the rules about importing scrap, BR-VT Customs Department proposed to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, that for manufacturing enterprises waiting for the inspection results, to allow them to take their scrap shipment goods to storage. This has helped remove many difficulties and greatly reduced costs for businesses. For container goods, immediately after the regular press conference of Government in January (in the afternoon of 31/1/2019), the unit urgently implemented the guidance of the General Department of Vietnam Customs on the first day of February, to process customs clearance for 36 declarations with 410 scrap containers at Cai Mep port.

Besides that, in order to continue to promote regular partnerships in law enforcement cooperation, BR-VT Customs Department has signed cooperation agreements with 8 enterprises in the locality. It is expected to continue signing cooperation agreements with 2 more enterprises this year. In order to promptly record and remove problems arising in the process of implementing customs procedures for enterprises, BR-VT Customs Department has regularly organized seminars with enterprises in the locality. In particular, business consultation activities have also been regularly implemented by BR-VT Customs Department. Every year, BR-VT Customs Department has held many dialogues at the Department and Branch level to solve obstacles in the process of implementing legal policies, as well as solving problems in coordination with related units in the process of customs procedures. Through these consultations, the Department has promptly dealt with many problems related to the implementation of the pilot system of automatic customs management and supervision for import and export goods, and transit at seaports and airports, as well as problems in resolving import procedures for scrap, importing goods from bonded warehouses. In particular, through these dialogues, the unit has acknowledged and answered difficulties and obstacles in bringing the source of goods to Cai Mep - Thi Vai port for implementing customs procedures, contributing to promoting the attraction of goods to implement procedures at the port, and for facilitating enterprises...

Efforts to support businesses, nursing revenue source

In 2019, BR-VT Customs Department was assigned to collect 19,950 billion VND to the state revenue. As of 19/3, the revenue collection at the unit reached over 3,534 billion VND, achieving 17.72% of the assigned estimate. In order to complete the task of revenue collection in 2019, the units of BRT Customs Department, especially Cai Mep Customs Branch, are one of the two units which has the largest revenue collection of BR-VT Customs with many activities for supporting businesses and nursing revenue sources.

Mr. Nguyen Van Danh, Manager of Cai Mep Customs Branch said that the work of attracting enterprises for coming to implement procedures at Cai Mep port is still facing difficulties due to transport infrastructure from BR-province to other localities not being ensured, because the cost of road transport from Cai Mep port to neighboring provinces is still high, and the mobilization of empty containers has not met the demand of enterprises. In addition, Cai Mep port not having a container scanner also partly limits in the attraction of enterprises implementing procedures at the port. However, in recent years, the number of imported and exported goods has increased constantly. Specifically, in 2017, cargo arriving through Cai Mep port reached 2.5 million teus, by 2018 was about 3 million teus, but the number of goods implementing procedures directly at the port did not increase much. In 2017, goods processed at this port reached about 300,000 teus, accounting for over 13%, by 2018 was about 350,000 teus, accounting for over 16%. The number of enterprises implementing procedures directly at ports also increased insignificantly.

Facing the above situation, in order to attract enterprises to carry out procedures, besides continuing the work of administrative reform and facilitating enterprises in the implementation of procedures at the units, the Branch also thoroughly instructed customs officials in the unit to try their best in order to meet the needs of enterprises in solving procedures quickly. Additionally, depending on the actual situation and conditions of the unit, they will facilitate as much as possible to the businesses. Specifically, to facilitate and attract import and export enterprises trading goods items requiring veterinary and phytosanitary, the Branch has asked Animal Health Branch Region 6 to arrange animal and plant quarantine stations right at the port in order to take on-site samples for businesses. This has contributed to attracting a lot of enterprises to do procedures at the port. According to statistics, in 2018, the total number of declarations at Cai Mep port increased by nearly 23% compared to 2017, and the number of enterprises having phytosanitary certificate increased by 13.5%, and the number of enterprises having veterinary certificates increased by nearly 17 %. In particular, the number of declarations subject to veterinary examinations has increased by nearly 130% with nearly 400 declarations.

Along with that, the leaders of the Branch also regularly meet and visit to catch up on difficulties and obstacles experienced by enterprises to timely support, regularly consult with the parties to acknowledge and remove the arising problems, and facilitate businesses to pick up goods at ports quickly. Most recently (on 19/3), the Branch held a consultation conference with 20 enterprises, with representatives of shipping lines, import-export enterprises and port enterprises, to recognize and solve difficulties related to the import of scraps, especially the import of new shipments, for helping businesses to stabilize production.

From the beginning of the year until now, Cai Mep Customs Branch has also supported enterprises very well in handling scraps in the port. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Danh, right after having a policy on changing the state inspection method about quality of imported scrap, from the direction given from the Department's leaders, the Department quickly organized the Customs Branch of Goods Verification No.3, by arranging customs officials to resolve procedures for enterprises 24/7, to quickly release shipments of scrap as production materials to enterprises that are in the time allotted for implementing customs clearance procedures in port. Only in February, the unit released almost all of the remaining scraps within the period of implementing customs procedure in port. Currently, the number of backlogged scrap in excess of 90 days at Cai Mep port is only about 1,400 containers, reduced nearly 90% compared to the end of 2018.