HCM City Customs Department: Revenue collection estimated to exceed VND 106,200 billion in 2020

Customs officials of HCM City Customs Department processed procedure for enterprises. Photo: Thu Hòa

That is one of the highlights of the HCM City Customs Department in 2020 - a year that the economy of all countries in the world, including Vietnam, has been seriously affected by the Covid -19 pandemic.

Speaking at the online conference on summarising the work in 2020, implementing tasks in 2021 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs on December 24, Director of the HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang said HCM City Customs Department has drastically implemented measures to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic. The unit did not arise any cases of customs officials being infected. At the same time, they implemented support activities to facilitate import and export activities. The customs management in the area was guaranteed, facilitating enterprises. Focusing on strengthening administrative reform, customs modernisation, IT application in professional stages, step up the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and strengthening discipline.

From that, HCM City Customs Department has achieved positive results. In particular, State revenue collection is estimated at more than VND 106,200 billion by the end of 2020, 92.4% of the ordinance estimate, accounting for 34.3% of the total revenue collection of the country.

There 8/12 branches that completed the ordinance target and 2/12 completed in excess of 90%. Only Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch reached VND 46,000 billion, reaching 103.0% of the estimate, an increase of VND 1,200 billion over the same period in 2019.

Total import-export turnover in 2020 is estimated at $118 billion, down 0.85% compared to 2019; total number of declarations was 3.15 million, a decrease of 7.42% compared to 2019; and total number of people on exit and entry country was 2.8 million passengers, reducing by 80.65% compared to 2019.

In terms of anti-smuggling and violation handling, the whole unit made a record of 1,428 violations, the total value of infringing goods was VND 1,285 billion VND; monetary penalties and confiscation was VND 52 billion; prosecuted eight cases, 31 cases were transferred to other agencies to propose for prosecution (including 28 cases involving drugs).

Particularly, in drug prevention and control, in 2020, the unit destroyed two specialised projects, discovered and recorded 38 cases of illegal transportation of narcotics and seized a total of about 51.1 kg of narcotics of all kinds.

Deploying tasks in the context of a unit having a large and complex workload with 23 affiliated units, the volume of assigned work increased over the years (by 2020, the total import-export turnover is $118 billion, accounting for 24% of the country and the State budget revenue accounts for 34% of the whole sector), at the conference, HCM City Customs Department proposed many contents related to building human resources as well as the application of information technology in professional activities.

Director Dinh Ngoc Thang highly appreciated the orientation to build the Smart Customs Management Model of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in line with the development trends of the customs model in the world.

Contributing suggestions for promoting the efficiency of the Smart Customs Management Model, HCM City Customs Department requested the General Department of Vietnam Customs update the system's development process to all affiliates and subordinate units to comment on each array, each module and each supporting software to promptly add appropriate amendments and achieve the highest efficiency.

At the same time, organising seminars and widely disseminating among the business community about the orientation of implementing the "Smart Customs Management Model" to evaluate the level and responsiveness of the business community if management problems and requirements are given to achieve management objectives in the description of the Scheme.

According to the director of HCM City Customs Department, with the Smart Customs Management Model, it would require smart customs officials.

“Although the IT system would solve most of the problems that were currently being done manually, to operate the smart system effectively, the operator must have certain qualifications. Therefore, it is suggested that the General Department of Vietnam Customs to gradually implement human resource training programmes, to prepare well human resources before implementing the project," Director Dinh Ngoc Thang stated and suggested: "HCM City Customs Department recommended to be the unit directly implement pilot and put into use the Smart Customs Management Model at the department.”