Ha Tinh Customs Department faces difficulties in revenue collection

	Ha Tinh Customs facilitates customs clearance
	Ha Tinh Customs arrests one carrying 1kg of drug

Import and export activities at Son Duong-Vung Ang Port (Ha Tinh). Photo: H.N

The revenue drops

By the end of October, Ha Tinh Customs Department processed procedures for 11,644 declarations, up 8.18% year-on-year with the total goods in trade of US$4,985 million, increasing by 15.52% compared with the previous year. The import and export items mainly are machinery and equipment, raw materials for the production of factories of steel, iron and steel and electronic products.

Speaking to Customs Magazine, Mr. Cao Duc Thang, Head of Technical Division under Ha Tinh Customs Department, said that although the volume of declarations and the turnover increased, the revenue plummeted. As of November 2, the department collected VND6,959 billion, meeting 63.45% of the estimate. Of which, the revenue of Vung Ang Seaport Customs Branch reached VND 6,439.14 billion, Cau Treo International Border Gate Customs Branch at VND501.79 billion, Xuan Hai Seaport Customs Branch at VND18.3 billion, other revenues at VND127.67 million.

The decrease in the revenue compared to the same period in 2022 results from the difficulties of the world economy that has affected import-export activities across border gates in the province. Especially, Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. has suffered from difficulties in finding the market for its products, so the company sharply reduced imports of raw materials such as coal, ore, scrap, alloys...

Over the past months, National Highway 8 and the National Highway in Bolikhamxay province (Laos) have suffered from serious landslides due to prolonged heavy rains, affecting trade activities across Cau Treo International Border Gate. This also has made a great impact on the revenue of Ha Tinh Customs Department in recent months.

In October, revenue showed signs of recovery with an increase of 42.2% compared with September because Vung Ang II Thermal Power LLC and VINES Energy Solutions Joint Stock Company went up imports of machinery, equipment and supplies for building factories. In addition, Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Iron and Steel Co., Ltd has also exported inventory that was produced from previous months and increased imports of input materials to serve production in the last months of the year.

At the regular meeting to evaluate the socio-economic situation in the 10 months of 2023 and set out key tasks and solutions in the last months of the year on October 27 of the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Trong Hai said that the total state revenue in Ha Tinh province in the 10 months of 2023 is estimated at more than VND14,000 billion, only reaching 74% of the estimate and 91% year-on-year. The reason is that the province's import-export revenue is lower than the estimate, and the production and business activities of enterprises still face difficulties.

Timely support and promotion of imports and exports

To complete the revenue target, Mr. Dinh Van Hoa, Deputy Director of Ha Tinh Customs Department said that the department will focus on removing problems and cutting unnecessary costs for enterprises, and promptly supporting and fostering imports and exports; assigning customs officers on duty 24/7 to ensure smooth and fast customs clearance.

Along with creating favorable conditions for businesses, the Department will also strengthen tax administration, prevent revenue loss through customs value, and HS codes... especially items with high tax rates and large import-export turnover; strengthen the inter-sectoral coordination to combat smuggling and trade fraud, focusing on identifying targeting items with suspected signs of turnover.

The department will propose competent authorities to comprehensively implement policies to develop production and promote trade, review, supplement and amend policies related to exports in the coming period. The department will actively coordinate with relevant units to effectively implement tax support solutions under resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government to facilitate and help enterprises recover and develop stably, attract new investment, and contribute to creating stable revenues.

Ha Tinh Customs has coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Planning and Investment, Ha Tinh Border Gate Economic Zone Management Board... to discuss and grasp the advantages and disadvantages of enterprises in implementing regulations related to rules of origin, trade and investment, and free trade agreements, thereby having plans to guide and promptly resolve them.

The Department has effectively implemented plans to develop Customs-business partnerships while also strengthening the collection of feedback from large enterprises and large investment projects to grasp information about imports, exports and trade as a basis for assessing collection capacity and building the State revenue estimate in 2024 in line with the reality.

The department will also focus on managing tax debts, and completing debt cancellation applications for businesses eligible for late payment debt cancellation as per provisions of Resolution No. 94/2019. /QH14 dated November 26, 2019, and preventing from arising new debt.