Customs provides plans for “post-Covid 19 period”

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The conference. Photo: T.B

These are the key directions by Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Can at the conference to review performance in April and deploy tasks in May held by the General Department of Vietnam Customs on May 6.

At the conference, the Director General said due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, import-export turnover in the first four months of the year plunged, leading to a decrease in revenue. Therefore, the GDVC’s departments and local departments should closely monitor fields and areas under their management to analyse, assess and forecast revenue in May and the rest of theyear.

When the pandemic eases, measures to prevent and control the pandemic willlessen in the country and elsewhere in the world, import-export activities will be more prosperous, so units should monitor the situation and create favourable conditions for the business community.

However, together with demand on increasing import and export in the post-Covid 19 period, smuggling is forecast to be complex, so the Director General requested units to provide effective fighting plans.

In addition, as the Standing Office of Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance, the GDVC will advise the Minister of Finance -Standing Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee 389 to build fighting plans and direct unified performance nationwide.

In addition, the Director General requested units closely follow and effectively implement directions of the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the GDVC’s key tasks in May and in plans 2020

Regarding performance in April and in the first four months of the year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Customs sector has made great efforts to fulfill goals of prevention and control the pandemic; ensuring State management of customs, especially anti-smuggling.

According to the GDVC, Vietnam’s import-export turnover in the first four months reachedUS$158.95 billion, a slight increase of 0.1% compared to 2019. Of which export turnover reached $80.86 billion, increasing by 2%; import turnover was $78.08 billion, decreasing by 0.3%. Thus, the country's trade surplus was about $2.78 billion.

Total revenue in the first four months reached VND 101,627 billion, equal to 30.07% of the estimate and 28.63% of the desired target, down VND 13,552 billion ,a decrease of 11.77% compared to 2019.

Notably, in the first four months of the year, the revenues of eightkey customs departments (HCM City, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Bac Ninh andHa Nam Ninh) that account for 83% of the total estimate of the customs sector, only reached 77.57%. The revenues of these departments fellas much as VND 12,750 billion, equivalent to a decrease of 13.9% compared to 2019.

For anti-smuggling, the Customs sector has workedwith competent agencies in detecting and handling 5,079 customs violations, with the value of infringing goods estimated at VND 1,209 billion

Customs has prosecuted sevencriminal cases and transferred 30 cases to other agencies, with the revenue estimated at VND 115.153 billion