Customs sector collects nearly VND136,000 billion in state revenue

Professional activities at Mong Cai Customs Branch (Quang Ninh Customs Department). Photo: T.Bình

Fight against loss of revenue

In 2022, the General Department of Vietnam Customs is assigned to collect VND352,000 billion. To accomplish the task in 2022, from the beginning of the year, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has issued a plan to implement Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP dated January 8, 2022 and Resolution No. 02/NQ-CP dated January 10, 2022.

At the same time, the Director Department of Customs issued Directive 439/CT-TCHQ dated February 11, 2022 on "Implementing solutions to facilitate trade, improve the effectiveness of state management, combating loss in revenue collection in 2022”.

From the beginning of the year to April 20, the total tax collection of the whole Customs sector reached VND135,366 billion, equaling 38.45% of the current appropriation according to the ordinance target and reaching 36.58% of the target set by the Party civil affairs committee of the Ministry of Finance.

Under the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Finance, the Customs sector has continued to carry out the review of many solutions in order to strive to achieve the highest result of targets and plans.

For example, implementing Directive No. 11/CT-TTg dated March 4, 2020 of the Prime Minister on urgent tasks and solutions to remove difficulties in production and business, ensuring social security to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic; regularly accompanying, answering and thoroughly solving problems related to customs procedures and tax policies for the business community.

Along with that is promoting the reform of administrative procedures in the direction of increasing the application of information technology, improving the business environment, enhancing national competitiveness, contributing to attracting foreign investment, promoting the development of export production, contributing to economic growth, and facilitating the management of state revenue of Customs authority.

Simultaneously, the Customs sector has strengthened the fight against revenue loss through supervision and inspection when carrying out customs procedures, post-clearance audit, specialized inspection, and fighting against smuggling and trade fraud; focusing on anti-fraud on quantity, value, code, origin and trademark.

Furthermore, the customs authority will focus on strict control, timely detection and prevention of the illegal transport of goods into the country; importing goods with counterfeit trademarks or infringing intellectual property rights; import goods that do not conform to the customs declaration in terms of type, quantity and value; goods banned from import; intentionally consuming goods subject to customs supervision (transit goods, temporary import and re-export, goods that are export processing and export production); proactively reviewing, classifying, collecting and handling tax debts incurred before January 1, 2022, and avoiding new debts in 2022 through inspection and examination.

Building a List of Vietnam's export and import goods

Regarding policy formulation in the field of import and export tax, the General Department of Vietnam Customs together with functional units under the Ministry of Finance (Tax Policy Department, International Cooperation Department, Legal Department) participated in the meetings of the Technical Task Group on commodity classification to review and develop the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff List (AHTN List) version 2022 in order to implement the HS Convention, the Protocol of ASEAN countries on customs, Protocol to implement ASEAN Harmonized Tariff List and Protocols amending AHTN.

On March 8, 2022, the Government issued Resolution No. 29/NQ-CP approving the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff List, version 2022. Currently, ASEAN countries continue to negotiate to build a correlation table and Supplementary Explanatory Notes (SEN) which are the reference for the application of the AHTN List to be clear and consistent.

On the basis of Resolution No. 29/NQ-CP dated March 8, 2022 of the Government, the Ministry of Finance has assigned the General Department of Vietnam Customs to chair the development of a Circular promulgating the List of Vietnam's import and export goods version 2022 to internalize the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature 2022 version.

Based on the List of Vietnam's import and export goods, version 2022, the Ministry of Finance will implement overall measures to submit to the Government for promulgation 20 Decrees on preferential import and export tariffs, the special preferential tariff schedules to implement the bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, appropriate with international commitments, and facilitate the integration and trade exchange process between Vietnam and ASEAN countries and countries in the world from now to 2027.

At the same time, coordinating with ministries and sectors to develop lists of goods for state management in accordance with the Government's regulations and Clause 4, Article 26 of Law on Customs.

“Currently, the draft Circular promulgating the List of exported and imported goods of Vietnam version 2022, is in the process of being appraised. The General Department of Vietnam Customs will coordinate to complete and submit the Circular to the Ministry of Finance for promulgation according to the plan," the General Department of Vietnam Customs said.