Customs adds more public services – more convenience for enterprises

	The Ministry of Finance will provide an additional 121 online public services at level 4 in 2017
	Upgrade of online public services continues
	Customs’ Online Public Service toward “Anywhere – Anytime – Any device”

Automation in administrative procedures helps enterprises to minimize the direct transactions at the Customs authorities. In this Photo is operational activity in the Bac Ninh Department of Customs. Photo. T. Binh

Synchronized improvement

Talking to a Customs reporter, the Head of Information Management and Electronic Transaction Division (Customs IT and Statistics Department, the General Administration of Customs) Dang Nam Phong said that over the past time, according to the roadmap for reform and modernization of Customs, Customs authorities focused on implementing online public services at level 4 (the highest level in Vietnam at the present time) for core procedures and regular procedures implemented by enterprises such as Customs procedures for import-export goods; Customs procedures for importgoods as fixed assets of investment projects; Customs procedures for export and import goods registered Customs declarations, it is seen that most of the procedures which are deployed by the public services at level 4are in the Customs branches- authorities directly perform a lot of regularprocedures for the business community.

Currently, when core procedures have been performed at level 4, the General Customs Department will start to upgrade the services for remaining procedures (in performing at level 1 and 2), mainly in the Customs Department and the General Department of Customs levels. However, the procedures in these two levels are not as much as those in the Customs Branches (the General Department level has 38 procedures, the Department level has 24 procedures and the Branches have 106 procedures). The target for 2017, is 100% of public services will be provided online at least at level 3, in which 70% of public services in the core field of the Customs sector will be provided online at level 4.

Some procedures which are of major concern to the business community (being performed at level 1, level 2) will be applied to the online public services at the highest level as possible such as procedures for confirmation of completed tax payment, procedures for tax exemption or reduction, tax refund and forgiveness of debt. Mr. Dang Nam Phong analyzed, synchronized deployment of online public services at the highest level would create an advance in support for the business community and the people of Customs authorities. The implementation of online transactions at level 4 will facilitate business to save costs due to decrease of travel time.

“If the case where records should be amended andsupplementedby direct transaction at the Customs authorities, the business will take a long time to travel for the amendments and supplements. But by online transaction, itwill be guided online by the Customs authorities”.Mr. Dang Nam Phong stressed.

What should the business do?

According to the Customs IT and Statistics Department, to participate in successful implementation of the online public services of the General Department of Customs, businesses and people need to actively join in training coursesheld by the Customs authorities and actively study the implementation of administrative procedures on the online public service system relating to the business. At the same time, the businesses and people should actively participate in the testingoperation of the online public service system (being implemented on 25 January, 2017).

In addition, from now to the end of 2016, the General Department of Customs has set out many key tasks for the preparation before testing and officialrunning ofthe online public service system, such as: Preparing human resources, organizing training courses and completing the software, infrastructure, information and communication, etc. In particular, the training for officials who will implement online public services must be finished before 15 December, 2016

The General Department of Customs will provide 70% public service at level 4 in 2017 VCN- Currently, the General Department of Customs has 68 administrative procedures, therein 72 online administrative procedures have ...

Along with that, the General Department of Customs directs local Customs Department to publicly propagate the plans and contentto deploy the online public services in 2016 for import and export enterprises and relevant objects to know and implement, such as posting in working headquarters, posting on electronic portals, integrating the propagation through conferences, training seminarsof the units and on other mass media, etc.