Binh Duong Customs: Promote the efficiency of container scanning machine

Customs Branch Managing Cargo Outside Industrial Park (Binh Duong Customs Department) inspected goods by container scanning machine. Photo: T.D

Facilitating enterprises

Binh Duong Customs Department said that, currently, all enterprises in the area have applied customs declaration via VACCSM and National Single Window (VNASSC/VCIS). Accordingly, the payment of tax, fees and charges and dossiers via online, banking and scanning goods via container scanning machine is a key mission of the unit implementing customs reform and customs modernisation.

From March 2013, the mobile container scanning machine equipped by General Department and has operated at the Customs Branch Managing Cargo Outside Industrial Park. The scanning cargo via container scanning machine at the unit has guaranteed the efficiency of quick clearance, reducing time, cost and goods’ safety of the enterprises. The average scanning time is 3-5 minutes per container, if adding the time for input data to the system, the stage of cargo physical inspection via scanner will be about 10-15 minutes per declaration. The application of inspection cargo via scanner has brought many benefits for import-export activities, especially for enterprises that have a large volume of import-export goods.

From the early months of 2019 till now, Customs Branch Managing Cargo Outside Industrial Park has scanned 1,978 declarations of 2,772 containers. Violations detected via scanning amounted to 23 cases with a total amount of fines more than 160 million VND and the amount of tax compliance was over 503 million VND. The infringing goods mainly had incorrect declarations of goods names, HS codes which cause a lack of payable tax amounts, and incorrect declared quantity compared to the actual amount of goods subject to tax exemption. The unit has seized two cases of violation of unsatisfactory import quality.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, manager of Import and Export Division of MaruchiStell Company said that: “The company has been established for more than 20 years and only implemented customs procedures at Binh Duong Customs. From that, enterprises realise that Binh Duong Customs attaches much importance to efficiency, saving costs for businesses by always updating and applying new technologies to reduce time and operating costs of the enterprises. This is showed clearly through the application of electronic dossiers instead of paper documents, remote e-customs declaration. In particular, the cargo inspection by mobile container scanning machine has been implemented openly and transparently, helping enterprises to clear goods quickly so that enterprises can producing promptly and also saving time and costs, limited cargo damage compared to manual inspection."

Continue promoting the efficiency

Continuing with the efficiency model of centralised cargo inspection equipping container scanning machine to reducing time of physical inspection for enterprises, at the end of November 2018, Binh Duong Customs also received one more mobile container scanning machine. Manager of Song Than Customs Branch Huynh Van Ut said that, from March 25, the Customs Clearance Area equipped container scanning machine at ICD Newport – Song Than under the management of the Branch has been put into operation.

So far, the unit has carried out cargo inspection through the screening for 680 declarations belonging to 830 containers. The number of violations detected by screening is one. Combined with the container scanning machine being operated at the Customs Branch Managing Cargo Outside Industrial Park, this new container scanner would ensure all import and export containers would be scanned through Binh Duong Customs.

The deployment of cargo screening through container scanning machine at Binh Duong Customs Department has facilitated import and export activities through the area and kept growth momentum, attracting many enterprises coming to implement customs procedures, contributing to increasing budget revenue. As of May 22, Binh Duong Customs Department collected revenue of over 5,848 billion VND, an increase of 16.67% compared to the same period last year, reaching 40.44% of the Ministry of Finance's plan (14,460 billionVND), reaching nearly 38% compared to the target of the General Department of Customs (15,400 billionVND).

From the beginning of the year until now (as of May 15), there were 5,506 enterprises that came to implement customs procedures at the units, up by 10.47% compared to the same period last year. The number of declarations was 586,303, up 13.6% compared to the same period in 2018. Import and export turnover reached $16 billion 643 million, increasing 5.09% over the same period in 2018.

Speaking at the working session with Binh Duong Customs Department on the assessment of the performance of tasks in the first four months of 2019, the Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Hoang Viet Cuong acknowledged the achievements of Binh Duong Customs Department in customs reform and modernisation, facilitating businesses including effective operation of container scanning machines. However,Cuong also noted that Binh Duong Customs Department needed to control the raw materials for export production and fraudulently goods origin in processing goods for export. In particular, risk management through container scanning machine; especially issues of controlling exported goods need to be further promoted.