e-Tax payment 24/7: Upgrading to increase attraction

	Upgrade to provide the better support
	E- tax payment 24/7: Stepping stone for e-government implementation
	E-tax payment 24/7 system continues to be upgraded and expanded

e-Tax payment 24/7 not only facilitates taxpayers but also supports the Customs authority in managing revenue. Photo: H.K

Upgrading the system

Tax payers can actively pay taxes at any time, anywhere, by any means via e-tax payment channel 24/7. The Tax payment does not depend on the working time and place of the agencies such as Banks, State Treasuries and Customs. Especially, this e-tax payment form ensures the safety of tax payer’s information in exchanging via the system and overcomes limitations on payment information when exchanging one or more tax deposit slips through the interbank, and overcomes limitations on transaction time of commercial banks.

Since the official deployment (October 2017), in order to meet taxpayers requirements, the e-tax payment system 24/7 was upgraded that allows entrusted exporters and importers, customs brokers or forwarders to upgrade some other utilities. At the same time, the banks that are permitted to provide e-tax payment 24/7 have been further expanded by the General Department of Vietnam Customs to create more channels for taxpayers.

Currently, the Customs IT and Statistics Department has added some new functions into the e-tax payment system 24/7 such as: utility function for imports and exports, function of order maker and order approver as required by the State Bank; Updating description field to the programs on the actual system. These are technical solutions that have been deployed and upgraded by the General Department of Vietnam Customs to assist enterprises engage in import and export in a better manner.

The Customs IT and Statistics Department has upgraded the system to add information on taxable amount in case of additional declarations in Customs clearance; Upgraded the centralized tax accounting system to assist Customs officers in monitoring statistics, and reporting on the e-tax payment 24/7.

Currently, the e-tax payment portal allows enterprises to print their deposit slips when the notification on payment is issued by the commercial banks. The testing will be completed and function of registering of order maker and order approver, and function of order making and approving will be implemented in 24/7 e-tax payment portal.

At the present time, the Customs IT and Statistics Department has basically completed functions in the system and shifted to the testing stage before officially upgrading and publicizing into the business community.

Supporting in case of the system has error

In order to closely control the tax payment of the enterprises and assist tax payers in case of the system having an error, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has developed a process on coordination in rectifying a system error. The notable point in this process is that Customs officers are not allowed to request enterprises to submit deposit slips, they have to check deposit slips in the system or via email sent by commercial banks to confirm Customs clearance.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy Head of Planning and Revenue Management Division under the Import and Export Duty Department said that the goal of coordination in processing deposit slips when the system has an error is to support tax payers to confirm tax payment after commercial banks have signed coordination agreements on tax collection with the General Department of Vietnam Customs to deduct the paid tax amount.

Thus, in order not to affect the Customs clearance and release time in the case that the commercial banks deducted money from the taxpayers' accounts at Corebanking, but the system has an error and cannot send the information on tax payment to the e-tax payment portal, the system specifies the responsibility of the units in the coordination of revenue collection.

Accordingly, in the case where the information technology system of the Customs authority or Commercial Banks have an error, the party affected by the error must be promptly notified by email or telephone number registered with the other party and promptly resolve the problem. After the problem has been resolved, the commercial banks shall transfer all missing information of the day to the e-payment portal so that the Customs can promptly account the debt payment for the taxpayers.

Meanwhile, managers of Customs Branches are in charge of organizing and assigning Customs officers to check the e-mails and receive information on deposit slips sent by commercial banks and process as per regulations.

Notably, the deposit slips sent by commercial banks via email are only used for Customs clearance and goods release but not for debt deduction. After commercial banks identify the system’s error that cannot send information on tax payment to the payment portal, they shall issue and attach deposit slips via internal email with attached digital signature of commercial banks to the Customs authority where the paid tax amount is raised and send to e-mail address: epavmenttchqcn@customs.gov.vn.

Accelerating propaganda

Some enterprises are still afraid to register e-tax payment 24/7 because they are used to implementing transactions at a counter or remitting via internet banking, because of meeting the Customs clearance time for enterprises. However, only when enterprises have a requirement on handling Customs clearance outside working hours or days off, will they realize the utility of e-tax payment 24/7. Thus, the propaganda to taxpayers by the Customs authority, banks and means is very necessary.

Identifying this limitation, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has issued an official letter to request provincial and municipal Customs departments to focus on guiding and propagating the e-tax payment 24/7 for enterprises that have not yet participated. In which, it has listed enterprises that have not participated and a Customs department will base on the list of enterprises engaged in import and export in their areas to develop propaganda programs to each enterprise in accordance with the management model of the customs branches.

E-tax payment 24/7 system continues to be upgraded and expanded VCN- According to the statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC), as of the end ...

Along with that, requesting Customs Branches’ Customs officers to contact with each enterprise to propagate benefits, security and safety when transacting on the Customs agency’s system and guide enterprises to register e-tax payment.

Also, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has also requested Customs departments classify enterprises under area and each subject and each enterprise model to train and propagandize promptly. Coordinate with banks' branches in the area to train and propagandize and receive questions or reasons that enterprises are afraid to participate in e-tax payment 24/7 and answer questions from enterprises.