Customs improves efficiency of solutions to support businesses amid Covid-19

	Customs sector proactively supports import and export easing in first six months of 2020
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The online conference to summarize task performance in the first half and deployment of tasks in the second half of the year took place on July 8.

According to Hung, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, border control measures have been strengthened, causing difficulties in trading activities, especially, for agricultural products in harvest season which need to be exported, and enterprises have run out of raw materials for production and the demand to import raw materials for production increases.

Following directions of all competent authorities, promptly supporting difficulties for businesses, the General Department of Vietnam Customshas actively advised and provided many solutions to both facilitate trade and ensure the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic to enhance efficiency of customs management and prevent revenue loss.

Meanwhile, actively instructing units to export medical masks and equipment for Covid-19 prevention, removing difficulties and obstacles related to procedures in import and export activities; drastically implement solutions to discuss with other countries to facilitate trade and closely coordinate with relevant agencies to avoid congestion at border gates.

Instructing customs units to carry out procedures quickly for passengers on exit and entry, directing customs units at border gates and international airports to quickly conduct customs clearance of goods, especiallygoods for pandemic prevention and control.

Submitting to the Ministry of Finance to promulgate Circular No. 47/2020/TT-BTC dated May 27, 2020 providing the time limit for submission of C/O and the forms of C/O for imported goods during the period of acute respiratory infections caused by Covid-19, including accepting e-C/O and prolonging the time limit of late submission of C/O; handling problems in using foreign codes and barcodes of exported goods to create favorable conditions for the business community.

In addition, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has actively reviewed current provisions and the actual situation to instruct customs units to perform uniformly, facilitating import and export activities but still ensuring customs management; effectively deploy and implementadministrative reforms and customs modernization.

In the last months of the years, the General Department of Vietnam Customs continues to direct provincial and municipal customs departments to work with competent forces at border gates to maintain solutions to both ensure customs clearance and pandemic prevention.

Improve the efficiency of IT solutions to support customs declarants and taxpayers; connect and exchange information with ministries and sectors during the handling of administrative procedures. In addition, it also continues to review legal basis and customs processes for import and export goods, means of transport on exit, entry and in transit. Simplify customs dossier and abolish unnecessary documents, simplify operational processes. Continue to direct local customs units to maintain solutions to facilitate trade and avoid congestion of goods, ensuring smooth clearance of goods.

At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Director of Hai Phong Customs Department, said that in the first six months of the year, Hai Phong Customs Department drastically worked with Hai Phong city to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic and has created the maximum conditions for import-export activities of enterprises.

Meanwhile, to facilitate trade andprevent violations of customs officers in performing customs operational processes, from March 25, the department has applied the pilot software forthe business community to proactively assess the quality of performance of customs officers and customs authorities. Since the end of March, the system has received 12,000enterprises’ assessments on attitude and capacity in carrying out procedures of customs officers. The system has also helped to assess efficiency in performing tasks of customs officers, thereby enhancing the awareness of officers in various operational stages. This is one of the specific and practical initiatives to implement the Customs-Business partnership.