Bac Ninh Customs accompanies businesses to voluntarily comply with customs laws

	Bac Ninh Customs plays key role in attracting investment
	12 enterprises participate in voluntary compliance program at Bac Ninh Customs
	21 enterprises participate in supporting and encouraging to comply at Bac Ninh Customs voluntarily

Leaders of Bac Ninh Customs Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding, the action plan with businesses participating in the pilot program (November 21, 2022). Photo: Quang Hung

Prerequisites for reform

Bac Ninh Customs Department is managing 5,615 enterprises.

According to statistics on the classification of law compliance for customs declarants, over 58.4% of enterprises have a low compliance level (level 4), 23.6% of enterprises have a medium compliance level (Level 4), the rest have compliance level 1 and level 2 (authorized economic operators and high compliance).

Director of Bac Ninh Customs Department Tran Duc Hung said that to implement the pilot program on supporting and encouraging enterprises to voluntarily comply with the customs law (according to Decision 1399/QD-TCHQ), Bac Ninh Customs selected 12 enterprises and signed a memorandum of understanding and an action plan.

Bac Ninh Customs will review the specific results achieved, and assess efficiency to the Customs and the business community, thereby reporting and proposing to the General Department of Customs to increase the number of enterprises participating in the program in the future.

This is a prerequisite to help the Department further standardize administrative procedures and trade facilitation commitments, toward Digital Customs and Smart Customs.

“Participating in the program first and foremost brings benefits to the business community, while improving the management efficiency of Customs and state management agencies, creating a healthy business environment, and improving national productivity and competitiveness. Therefore, enterprises have both the benefits and the obligation to comply with the law by closely coordinating with the Customs to re-evaluate the current situation, specify the factors affecting the compliance level to have a specific plan to improve and raise the compliance level,” Mr. Tran Duc Hung said.

Business community appreciated the pilot program

Mr. Nguyen Nhat Kha, Director of the Risk Management Department (General Department of Customs) said at Bac Ninh Customs Department, two enterprises participating in the pilot program have improved their compliance level from 3 to 2, this is an encouraging result for the General Department of Customs and Bac Ninh Customs Department. These initial results showed that the program is on the right track.

Director of Import-Export Materials Department, Dabaco Vietnam Group JSC Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh said that the pilot program has brought about benefits for her company such as the company being supported and guided by the Customs authorities under the commitments described in the Memorandum of Understanding upon request. The company is recognized by the Customs authority as a member participating in the pilot program on enterprise records and professional information systems to give timely and effective support activities.

“Customs has assigned officers and experts on customs operations at all levels to directly support, advise the enterprises and solve problems in customs clearance for import and export, transit goods. On the other hand, the Customs has warned of factors that reduce the compliance level of enterprises, as well as provides warning information, risk trends, intellectual property infringement in the field of import and export," said Ms. Ngoc Anh.

“Thanks to the support by the Customs, the company has reduced costs for customs clearance. On the other hand, the Customs authority works with relevant agencies to support and advise the company on measures to minimize consequences of errors and violations in the customs clearance process,” Ms. Ngoc Anh said.

Supporting enterprise at Customs Branch of "tens of billion USD"

Not only Dabaco Vietnam Group JSC, but all 12 enterprises selected by Bac Ninh Customs to join the pilot program have also appreciated the program and expected to work with customs more actively to avoid violations of customs law as well as risks to maintain or raise their compliance.