Enterprises enhance their brand and reputation when voluntarily complying with customs laws

	Quang Ninh Customs makes efforts to help businesses improve compliance with customs laws
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs: Diverse forms of supporting businesses to comply with customs laws
	Hanoi Customs supports and encourages businesses to voluntarily comply with customs laws

Leaders of Quang Ninh Customs Department signed a memorandum of understanding with businesses. Photo: Provided by Quang Ninh Customs Department

Propagating and promoting the Program

According to the Risk Management Department (General Department of Customs), the results of the implementation of the pilot program to support and encourage enterprises to voluntarily comply with the customs law (according to Decision 1399/QD-TCHQ dated July 15, 2022) ) shows that the Customs Departments of provinces and cities have actively organized the implementation of the Program and have many initiatives and ways of propagating and supporting enterprises participating in the Program, which are recognized and supported by the business community. For example, the Customs Departments: Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang.

Through the monitoring of reporters, at Customs Departments: Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City... actively propagated the Program at regular Customs-Enterprise Dialogue Conferences. At business meetings, businesses have seen the benefits of participating in the Program and expressed their desire to participate in the Program.

By June 2023, there were 213 import-export enterprises, and customs agents participating and recognized as members of the Pilot Program to support and encourage enterprises to voluntarily comply with customs laws at thirty-four Customs departments of provinces and cities.

With the goal of increasing at least 20% of enterprises participating in the Program in 2023, in order to continue implementing phase II and overcome the limitations mentioned above, the Risk Management Department suggested that the Customs Departments of provinces and cities The city direct relevant units to actively plan and organize the implementation of forms and measures to propagate and promote the Program and partnership programs with the business community in the area under its management, focusing on introducing and explaining the main contents about the benefits of enterprises when participating in the Program.

It is an enterprise that is supported by the Customs to improve compliance, thereby reducing the rate of customs inspection for import and export goods, and will enjoy procedural incentives in the process of voluntary compliance with the law. Along with that, enterprises are certified as members of the Program by the Customs agency, helping them improve their brand and reputation and being money for them to enjoy incentives in business, import, and export activities in the country in the country and in the international market…

Also according to the Risk Management Department, besides the positive results brought by the Program, measures to propagate and disseminate the Program have not been carried out regularly and continuously and there is a downward trend in quality and effectiveness. As a result, some businesses still do not fully understand the Program, especially the benefits of becoming a Program member. Enterprises are afraid of arising more administrative work, subject to more control by the Customs, so they are not active and enthusiastic to participate or participate in a formality, not in substance. The regular information exchange and interaction mechanism between the Customs authorities and member enterprises within the framework of the Program has not been fully implemented, leading to propaganda and support for enterprises is ineffective.

Diversify the types of businesses involved

In order to gradually expand the Program, diversify the types of enterprises participating. At the same time, creating a flexible mechanism for the provincial and municipal Customs Departments, in phase II, the Risk Management Department had written to the customs departments of provinces and cities to continue implementing the pilot program to support and encourage enterprises to voluntarily comply with the customs law. Accordingly, in addition to enterprises selected according to the Program's criteria, on the basis of activities of partnership, propaganda, and business contact, the Customs Departments of provinces and cities can invite enterprises to take the initiative. offer to participate in the Program. At the same time, actively coordinate with relevant units to integrate training content on preventing violations in the field of customs in the Partnership Programs for the business community in the area under their management.

Customs departments of provinces and cities continue to promote the implementation of support activities, ensuring the implementation of phase II of the Program. Specifically, focus and urge the units to fully and promptly implement activities to support and create favorable conditions for enterprises; ensuring the reporting regime, implement the action plan and periodically notify within the framework of the Program for member enterprises in import and export activities in the locality. Sharing and applying creative methods of information exchange, effective communication, and interaction with member enterprises (via hotline, zalo software, viber on mobile phones, etc.) to take the initiative in propagandizing, supporting, and explaining the law, and at the same time record the aspirations, requirements, and problems of enterprises for timely handling. Actively coordinate with relevant units to integrate training content on how to avoid violations in the field of customs in the Partnership Programs for the business community in the area under their management.