Customs procedure reform plays important role in reducing costs for businesses

	Customs sector sets out tasks for Q2 2022
	More than 100 businesses attend seminar "Finding solutions to reduce import and export costs for businesses"
	Goods deposited in bonded warehouse and temporarily imported for re-export strictly controlled

Officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport inspect imported goods. Photo: T.H

Helping enterprises save hundreds of billions of dong

According to the Customs Control and Supervision Department, in order to facilitate trade and import-export activities, the Customs sector has implemented many solutions, such as perfecting the institutional system and legal documents; applying information technology in management and operation.

Notably, all core customs procedures are processed automatically via the VNACCS/VCIS at a high level at customs units nationwide with the participation of over 99% of businesses. The system has processed over 99.6% of declarations with the clearance time for goods in the Green channel of only 1-3 seconds.

To further facilitate businesses and support the business community to overcome difficulties caused by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the GDVC has officially provided free customs clearance software for businesses engaged in import and export activities since December 29, 2021. The software helps businesses save investment costs in machinery, equipment, software copyright, and early access and be proactive with reform of the Customs sector when implementing digital customs and smart customs.

According to calculations by Customs, with about 92,000 import-export businesses in operation, providing free software will help businesses save about VND432 billion.

The IT application has replaced administrative procedures by transforming the form of e-data connection and exchange, thereby, eliminating a number of administrative procedures, reducing working hours, saving human resources for management agencies and costs for businesses.

Specifically, abolishing the procedure for certifying the origin declaration for imported means of transport. According to preliminary calculations based on survey results from businesses and reports of local customs, the abolition will save the Customs authority hundreds of thousands of working hours; help businesses to save costs to carry out administrative procedures and reduce human resources.

On February 8, 2022, the GDVC issued Directive 384/CT-TCHQ promoting administrative reform and streamline customs procedures towards paperless customs in 2022, reviewing, cutting and streamlining business conditions and administrative procedures; optimizing processes, digitizing the results of administrative procedures on the basis of strong application of information technology to shorten the customs clearance time and cut costs for businesses.

Customs is focusing on completing the Project on hiring information technology services to perform digital customs and is expected to pilot application from 2023.

This model has a high automation level and applies new and modern scientific achievements on a digital platform, ensuring transparency, fairness, effectiveness, efficiency, predictability, and adaptability to fluctuations of international trade and meeting management requirements of customs authorities, and requirements on sharing, connecting with ministries and government agencies, in line with international standards, serving people and businesses.

Considering enterprises as the center of reform

As a department that manages and carries out procedures for nearly 50,000 import-export businesses with the largest volume of cleared goods in the country, HCM City Customs Department is always focused on reforming procedures and considers businesses as the center. In recent years, the Customs Department has also executed many effective projects and programs on customs procedure reform.

Deputy Director of HCM City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep said that the project "Trade facilitation: Customs procedures in logistics and prevention of imported and exported goods backlog at Cat Lai Port” was effectively executed by the department. This is one of the plans to reform administrative procedures, modernize customs operations, aiming to shorten customs clearance and release time at border gates, and create favorable conditions for businesses to promote production, improve the business environment, enhance competitiveness and efficiency of logistics activities.

The Department continues to reduce procedures, apply information technology to further shorten the time in the customs process and reduce costs for businesses, thereby improving the efficiency of logistics activities; reducing cargo congestion at Cat Lai port, contributing to reducing road traffic jams around Cat Lai port; improving the level of business satisfaction in customs process and delivering goods at Cat Lai port; enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises for sustainable development. Therefore, the department contributes stable revenue to the state budget.

In the near future, Vietnam Customs sets the task of continuing to promote administrative reform in a comprehensive manner to reduce the customs clearance time and create favorable conditions for businesses, and meet the requirements of customs management; make efforts to coordinate with ministries and government agencies, accompanies businesses to reform customs clearance procedures for imports and exports, create favorable conditions for businesses to cut costs and time, and improve national competitiveness.