Efforts to bring Customs - Business partnership into practice

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	Initiative to develop Customs - Business partnership of Hai Phong Customs

Quang Ninh Customs Department established a "quick response" team to operate with the motto "Most dedicated - Fastest - Most satisfied", committed to supporting businesses 24/7 (In photo: Customs officers of Hon Gai Port Customs Department at work). Photo provided by the Department

Many initiatives to develop partnerships

The development of Customs-Business partnerships has always been identified by the Customs industry as a key, regular task, implemented at all three levels: General Department, Department and Branch. At the General Department level, partnership activities focus on issues of completing and answering policies, laws, and state management methods on customs. At the Department level, partnership activities are associated with the issue of law enforcement. At the Branch level, partnership activities are associated with actual and daily activities.

In order to concretize the major policy of the sector, for many years, all 35 local customs departments of have based on the annual development plan of the General Department of Customs to systematically and scientifically deploy at their units. In addition to implementing the content according to the instructions of the General Department, many local customs departments have taken flexible and creative measures through highly effective and practical business support activities.

At the Quang Ninh Customs Department, to gradually develop the Customs - Business partnership, the unit has deployed many creative ways to help the voice of businesses come closer to Customs authorities. At the same time, the awareness of Customs officials and civil servants has changed fundamentally, from considering businesses as objects of management to considering them as partners and cooperation, thereby implementing specific and practical activities to support and accompany businesses.

For example, Quang Ninh Customs has organized and implemented the Customs Department Competitiveness Index (CDCI) to assess competitiveness, management quality of grassroots level and operations as well as support and accompany the businesses of the branches, thereby creating a vibrant competitive atmosphere among the affiliated branches in implementing tasks as well as Customs-Business partnership activities.

In addition, with the initiative to ensure the fastest and most effective provision of information and support for businesses, in 2017, Quang Ninh Customs established a Team to provide information and support businesses (ISEC Team), by the Director of the Department. The "quick response" team operates with the motto "Most dedicated - Fastest - Most satisfied", committed to supporting businesses 24/7, responsible for gathering opinions of businesses, directly supporting them, removing difficulties, facilitating import and export activities and accompanying businesses in the customs procedures.

At Hai Phong Customs Department, to promote the development of Customs-Business partnerships, the unit has taken the initiative to build a "System to assess service quality of civil servants under Hai Phong Customs Department" in the implementation of customs procedures" (referred to as the Assessment System) has been launched from 2020.

The evaluation system aims to record and synthesize assessments and the level of satisfaction of businesses with the service quality of civil servants, work teams, and relevant customs branches in each declaration and dossier to promptly check, verify, and handle all acts of inconvenience, harassment, negativity, delay, and errors (if any); clearly define the responsibilities of each unit and individual in the process.

Or at Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, to gradually bring partnership activities into practice, the unit has implemented the initiative "Solutions to facilitate businesses in carrying out customs procedures - waiting room for customs procedures at ICD Phuoc Long 3" in 2023. Saigon Port Zone IV Customs Branch has arranged a waiting room for customers coming to do customs procedures, which has been equipped with tables, chairs, water, air conditioning, screen displaying list of declarations, list of administrative procedures, computers connected to the internet, connected to a printer. Accordingly, businesses can easily access the provisions of customs law and ask about customs procedures through information channels such as the official website of the Customs sector; contributes to increasing the level of satisfaction of businesses when implementing procedures at the branch.

Also at the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, the Hi-Tech Park Customs Branch has implemented dialogues and meetings with businesses under the model called "Morning coffee with businesses" starting from September 2019 and held periodically on Monday (last week of the month) with the participation of the Board of Directors, Head/Deputy Head of Import-Export Division, customs brokers, and customs declaration service providers.

Building and implementing a trusted partner program

The goal of developing the Customs - Business partnership of the Customs Development Strategy to 2030 (according to Decision 628/QD-TTg dated May 20, 2022 of the Prime Minister) is: "Building Partnership between Customs authorities and businesses to form a reliable supply chain based on research, development and implementation of a trusted partner program with the participation of import and export businesses and the business's trading partners in the supply chain".

Speaking to reporters, a representative of the Customs Reform and Modernization Board (General Department of Customs) said that in order for the development of the Customs - Business partnership to be effective and substantive, local customs departments need to step up implementation of activities.

First, always attaching Customs - Business partnership activities to the unit's regular, daily operations, always accompanying businesses, considering them as trusted partners.

Second, always being proactive and innovate in implementation of partnership activities in accordance with the situation and reality at the unit. Renewing dialogue and cooperation activities to attract the business community to be willing to participate in cooperation with the Customs agency.

Third, regularly exchanging and grasping information on the production and business situation of businesses in the area to have appropriate solutions to support them. Proactively analyzing and selecting topical issues that businesses are interested in to support businesses as soon as possible.

With the efforts of the Customs agency in recent times, the Customs-Business partnership will become more and more practical and effective, together boost economic growth.