Businesses should actively share customs-related problems

	Nghe An Customs removes problems for businesses engaging in import and export activities through the province
	HCM City Customs answered many problems about export processing and export production of cashew
	Requesting Ministry of Health to correct problems relating to the procedure for import cosmetic proclamation

Deputy Director of Legal Department Dao Thinh Vinh

Following the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Finance, the Customs sector has actively developed policies to support people and businesses to restore production and business after the Covid-19 pandemic, contributing significantly to economic development. What do you think about the results?

Implementing the resolutions of the Government and the action plan of the Ministry of Finance, the Customs sector has offered solutions for administrative procedure reform; regularly assessing the impacts of administrative procedures in law-making, helping ensure the necessity, legitimacy and reasonability of regulations on administrative procedures; regularly and promptly publicized administrative procedures to ensure the accessibility to information about administrative procedures of individuals, organizations and businesses; and strengthened the control of administrative procedures in the whole sector.

In addition, Customs has built and effectively run a number of important information technology (IT) systems to serve the implementation of customs procedures, automated customs inspection and supervision.

Especially, amid the Covid-19 pandemic breaking out nationwide, Customs flexibly issued many effective solutions to support businesses, which have been recognized and appreciated by the business community.

In addition to completing the legal framework of customs legislation, Customs has strengthened IT application in customs operations. This "leverage" contributes to creating favorable conditions for businesses to improve competitiveness, achieve growth, and regain momentum in production and business activities after the pandemic.

Given practical solutions and efforts, what specific results have been achieved from accompanying businesses and active policy-making?

With the goal of constantly improving the capacity and efficiency of state management of customs, facilitating and serving people and businesses, the Customs has always determined public administration reform (PAR) as a key political task that must be carried out regularly and continuously, making an important contribution to the PAR task of the Finance sector.

To understand and quickly solve difficulties and problems for businesses, the General Department of Customs and the local Customs Departments regularly organize dialogue conferences so that enterprises have a chance to share problems related to the import and export management policies, customs procedures, and attitude of Customs officers in the official duty performance.

Therefore, the General Department of Customs and local Customs Departments have promptly solved many problems for businesses and obtained more useful information for customs PAR, and handled negative manifestations of customs officers at all levels.

Especially, after each dialogue conference with the business community held annually by the Ministry of Finance and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in the North and South, a number of documents, customs policies, procedures and tax management have been revised and issued to create more favorable conditions for businesses in production and business activities.

The results are shown by the fact that the General Department of Customs has actively promoted the completion of customs mechanisms, policies and laws. Accordingly, in 2020 and 2021, the General Department of Customs studied and proposed to reduce and simplify 5% of regulations and 5% of costs related to business activities according to Resolution 68/NQ -CP dated May 12, 2020 of the Government; and proposed to cut, simplify 19 of 29 business conditions, cut 22 of 52 components of dossiers for recognition of warehouses, yards, ports and duty-free shops.

So far, the core customs procedures are carried out completely automatically through the VNACCS/VCIS at 100% of Customs units nationwide with more than 99% of enterprises. More than 99.8% of customs declarations are processed on these systems and customs clearance time for Green channel goods is only one to three seconds.

However the customs procedures are diversified, and problems are inevitable that may affect the customs clearance time of businesses, these problems are solved transparently and publicly.

To facilitate the dialogue between the Customs and the business community, before, during and after each dialogue conference, the Customs always answers the problems arising to help remove difficulties and obstacles in the implementation of customs procedures, ensuring compliance with policies and laws of businesses.

Especially, after each annual dialogue conference with businesses, the General Department of Customs continues to comprehensively reform the management method and tax policy for imports and exports in line with the process of economic integration towards stability, fairness and transparency, creating a healthy economic environment and complying with international treaties and free trade agreements, the Customs Law, the Law on Import –Export Duties and other relevant laws.

What will Customs do to receive comments related to management policies in the field of customs from businesses?

To help businesses recover and develop after the pandemic, Customs has been applying customs risk management measures, thereby reducing the burden on customs procedures during the customs clearance process for businesses.

The General Department of Customs has requested provincial and municipal customs departments to work with other authorities at border gates to maintain solutions to ensure customs clearance improved the efficiency of IT solutions to support customs declarants and taxpayers; coordinated with ministries and agencies in the processing of administrative procedures.

In addition, the General Department of Customs has also reviewed and completed the legal framework and customs procedures for import and export goods, means of transport on entry, exit and in transit; simplified customs dossiers, abolished unnecessary documents, streamlined procedures and requested local Customs units to maintain trade facilitation measures to avoid cargo congestion and ensure fast customs clearance.

In particular, through dialogue conferences, Customs will understand and solve difficulties and problems during customs clearance at border gates. Also, Customs will disseminate new legal documents and regulations to businesses, raising awareness of law compliance in the business community and coordination with the Customs in law enforcement, anti-smuggling and anti-trade fraud, as well as developing a healthy business environment in the business community.

Customs strengthens administrative reform to serve businesses and people

Customs expects businesses to actively share obstacles in law enforcement and actively propose solutions to management agencies in the development, amendment and supplementation of laws related to taxes and customs to ensure feasibility, fairness, transparency, easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement of legal documents in order to promptly solve problems and propose solutions.

Thank you Sir!