Can Tho Customs: Increasing activities for businesses

Seizure of nearly 29kg of rhino horn on flight from South Korea to Can Tho

Tay Do Customs Branch (Can Tho Customs Department) guides on procedures for enterprises

Growth in difficulty

Although import-export business in the Mekong Delta region has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the key commodities such as agriculture and fishery, but due to the initiative of overcoming enterprises as well as quick support measures fromthe Government and local agencies, so the import-export turnover through the Customs sub-departments of Can Tho Customs Department from the beginning of the year has grown quite well.

According to statistics of Can Tho Customs Department, from the beginning of the year until now, units of the department have completed procedures for about 56,000 declarations, turnover of nearly US$2.9 billion, up about 20% over the same period in 2019. In particular, the main export items are rice, steel, processed seafood, vegetables, fertiliser, textiles and footwear; handicraft products; auto parts ... Imported goods mainly include motorbikes, liquefied petroleum gas, round timber, DO oil tar, pharmaceuticals, scrap paper, materials for shoe production, textile materials, machinery and equipment; creating fixed assets, processing components, producing auto parts.

Vo Ngoc Tam, Director of Can Tho Customs Department said: “Although the pandemic is affected by the disease, the import-export activities in Can Tho and the management areas have grown well, many big projects in the area are still be deployed on schedule. Up to now, most enterprises in the area have quickly recovered and stabilised. Can Tho Customs Department has always been proactive in creating favourable conditions for import-export activities, assisting enterprises in overcoming difficulties, formulating many scenarios and plans to ensure effective anti-pandemic fighting and implementation of supportive solutions; support and create maximum favourable conditions for enterprises in the area to recover operation soon. Leaders of the department and its sub-departments often met enterprises to carry out customs procedures to grasp the situation of operations, plans for export and import of goods, supporting and promptly solving difficulties, problems for businesses to effectively manage revenue sources in the area.”

Proactively support businesses

From the beginning of the year until now, along with continuous support in electronic customs declaration, the Can Tho Customs Department has continued to helpenterprises implement the automatic customs management scheme at ports, warehouses and yards; the scheme of electronic tax payment through banks to coordinate collection and customs clearance 24/7 so that customs procedures in enterprises are smooth and convenient.

In addition to operating and effectively exploiting the automated electronic clearance system VNACCS/VCIS with the implementation of the declaration through the VNACCS/VCIS system, the rate of 100% for declarations and turnover is also required. Poetry has gradually proposed to the General Department of Customs to complete the model of electronic customs procedures with a focus on reviewing andproposing institutional improvement, procedures, and upgrading and completing the system to facilitate the best for businesses in customs declaration.

At the same time, the department has always paid attention to the tax payment support of businesses, cooperated closely with banks in electronic tax payment;State budget collection through banks, coordinating collection always achieved a high rate, accounting for 98.15% of total revenue, creating the most favourable conditions for businesses to pay taxes.

Due to the high characteristics of the export of agricultural and aquatic products, Can Tho Customs Department has always paid attention to supporting the settlement of overtime customs procedures for businesses, especially the peak time in harvest andprocessing for export. Since the beginning of the year, sub-departments of Can Tho Customs Department have solved procedures after working hours on Saturday for more than 1,000 businesses with 500 employees, turnover of more than$310 million with about 7,000 declarations.

Regarding business support, Can Tho Customs Department has improved the quality of the problem solving team. Maintain a hotline regularly to receive opinions from people and businesses. Regularly support and answer problems that arise for businesses. From the beginning of the year until now, Can Tho Customs Department has solved 126 problems arising from organisationsand individuals.

In the remaining months of 2020, Can Tho Customs Department continues to develop Customs - enterprises partnership in the direction of diversifying approaches and assisting enterprises in implementing customs procedures. Strengthen activities of the Customs Advisory Group - Enterprises at Department level and subordinate level; striving for satisfaction of enterprises and partners with administrative procedures in customs reaching 70% or more of the main indicators under norms prescribed by the General Department of Customs. Continue to support citizens and businesses to implement electronic customs procedures VNACCS / VCIS, e-Manifest andonline public services, contributing to the completion of assigned tasks.