National Steering Committee 389 implementing a peak anti-smuggling drive on the occasion of Tet

Illegally imported cigarettes are seized by the Customs.

Strengthen inspections

According to the plan, the National Steering Committee 389 will strengthen the direction, inspection and speeding up of work by the Steering Committee 389 of ministries, branches, provinces and cities on anti-smuggling, fraud and counterfeiting.

At the same time, it helps the authorities actively grasp the situation, strengthen inspection, control, and handle smuggling, trade fraud, production, transportation, and sale of prohibited and counterfeit goods during the Lunar New Year in 2021 and especially during the preparation and conduct of the XIII National Party Congress.

In the Plan, the National Steering Committee 389 gives the key tasks to ministries, branches and localities.

Accordingly, the Steering Committee of ministries, branches and localities strictly abide by the directions of the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee 389; developing a plan to direct and urge functional agencies and units to strengthen the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods during the Lunar New Year.

Identifying key suspects, routes, geographical areas and goods; intensifying control at road, sea, river, air and trails, openings, cargo gathering areas near the border; wholesale markets, trade centers, assigning responsibilities clearly for local management and control to each local and central functional agency in the locality.

At the same time, developing a plan to organize forces and vehicles and maintain strict border control, strengthen control of the road from the border to inland to prevent smuggled, counterfeit and poor-quality goods.

Strengthening the prevention and fight against smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods, as well as banned goods, goods affecting security and order, social safety, counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, and imported goods high tax rates and essential consumer goods during the Lunar New Year such as: drugs, weapons, firecrackers, foreign currency, gasoline, livestock, poultry, food, alcohol, cigarettes, confectionery, fruit, electronics, cosmetics, high-end fashion. Special attention should be paid to items related to Covid-19 pandemic prevention.

Customs force: Ensuring anti-smuggling and facilitate customs clearance

In addition, the National Steering Committee 389 assigns specific tasks to the Steering Committee 389 of ministries, branches and localities.

In particular, the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance is responsible for directing the General Department of Customs to direct the professional units and local customs units to intensify the inspection and strict control of the road border gate area, seaports, river routes, international civil airports, international post offices and other locations within the controlled customs areas; gathering forces to complete customs and goods clearance, prevent congestion at border gates during the Tet holiday.

Coordinating closely with the functional forces to strengthen patrol and control of land and sea borders and implement thematic plans to combat key products, with special emphasis on preventing origin fraud, illegally conveying and evading defensive measures; firecrackers, consumer goods for Tet holiday are medical masks and anti-pandemic equipment.

The Ministry of Finance directed the General Department of Taxation to direct professional units and local tax departments to strengthen solutions to detect and handle violations of the law on management and use of invoices for business activities goods of border residents, households and individuals doing business in border areas to prevent the use of invoices to legalize smuggled goods; strengthen inspection and control against tax loss; exchanging information promptly, coordinating closely with functional forces in the investigation, verification and handling of smugglers, trade fraud, counterfeit goods related to tax administration.

The peak plan to fight smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods before, during and after the Lunar New Year is implemented from December 20, 2020 to February 28, 2021.