HCM City Customs: Set up plan to support firms during and after the pandemic

Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs officers carry out procedures for imported vaccines. Photo: T.Linh

Apply special mechanism

Since the fourth outbreak of the pandemic, HCM City has become a hot area affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, HCM City Customs Department has implemented solutions to perform dual tasks and timely support cargo clearance. In particular, leaders of the unit pay special attention to creating all favourable conditions for businesses to carry out clearance procedures, proactively deploying support solutions to ensure production, supply and circulation for commodities serving for production of firms; applying the urgent clearance mechanism for goods for pandemic prevention and control.

Facing pandemic turbulence, HCM City Customs Department established special working groups to support businesses, and reported to the General Department of Vietnam Customs and HCM City to propose State authorities under the National Assembly and the Government have urgent solutions for Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control. For example, a special mechanism to be applied temporarily during the pandemic to quickly receive goods to serve for pandemic prevention and control; maintaining the global trade supply chain of the city and opening up economic flows. The provisional mechanism on management and specialised inspection policies should shorten procedures, orders and directly decentralised to local governments for handling goods serving anti-pandemic work and mechanisms and policies on tax exemption for goods serving anti-pandemic.

HCM City Customs Department has deployed tasks and solutions to support businesses to maintain supply chain activities during social distancing. HCM City Customs Department has set up a quick response and flexible action mechanism throughout the department, including a Standing Team to command and coordinate in state management activities of customs in the assigned area, to proactively receive information and promptly take action to handle and resolve problem to support firms to maintain production activities.

Along with that, affiliate customs branches must process customs procedures quickly, and effectively; assign customs officers to handle customs procedures as soon as the firm's declaration information is available on the system. Furthermore, arranging customs officers to process requests on handling customs procedures outside office hours for businesses. Working with local customs departments and Saigon Newport Corporation and competent forces to control the process of circulation, transportation, and regulation of container traffic from Cat Lai port to other seaports in HCM City and inland container depots (ICD) following the instructions of the General Department of Vietnam Customs and regulations of the Ministry of Finance aiming to provide best support to the circulation and cargo clearance of firms.

Many solutions to support after the pandemic

According to HCM City Customs Department, currently, many firms are suspending business and production activities, affecting import and export of goods, therefore, trade facilitation solutions to support firms to recover after the pandemic is necessary and meaningful. A series of solutions have been developed by HCM City Customs Department for timely implementation. The unit will summarise difficulties and problems affecting the supply chain of import and export goods to report and suggest urgent solutions to support enterprises affected by the pandemic; report to the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the People's Committee of HCM City for cases beyond their jurisdiction.

Besides that, establishing and maintaining working relationships based on comprehensive cooperation and connection between HCM City Customs Department and other agencies, units and organisations inside and outside the customs sector for achieving the common goal: to implement customs procedures and solutions to support businesses in the shortest time possible. Implement synchronously and effectively the department's promulgated administrative reform and trade facilitation plans and schemes with a higher degree and flexibility. Strengthen coordination with Vietnam Logistics Service Firm Association, HCM City Department of Industry and Trade in researching, developing, and implementing development projects.

To strengthen coordination to facilitate trade and prevent the congestion of goods at border gates, HCM City Customs Department has worked with the Vietnam Logistics Business Association to increase the rate of declarations made via customs brokers to optimise freight operations at scale, increasing the ability to receive goods and goods delivery in the same transport cycle and reducing the number of employees of firms who directly carry out procedures at the port. Temporarily loosening the selection criteria in terms of size and revenue collection to expand subjects of application of logistics development and anti-congestion scheme. Accelerating collection and analysis of information to detect signs of violations and risks. Suggesting the General Department of Vietnam Customs temporarily change the channeling rate. Accordingly, reducing the rate of red channel declarations or change the physical inspection structure to inspection by scanners based on the concentration assessment of legal compliance indicators.

Notably, HCM City Customs Department will organise to review and assess the processes, regulations, and legal documents in the field of customs and related fields that are no longer suitable with reality, content is ambiguous or unclear content causing confusion in the implementation process, to promptly report and suggest authorities abolish or amend.

Regarding fiscal policy, HCM City Customs Department works with departments of the General Department of Vietnam Customs and other departments of HCM City to implement fiscal policies to support firms to reduce production and business costs, such as taxes reduction or deadline extension of tax payment.

HCM City Customs Department worked with Vietnam Logistics Business Association, the Department of Industry and Trade, and the Department of Planning and Architecture of HCM City to implement the scheme on developing logistics industry in HCM City to 2025 and orientation to 2030 which emphasises the following contents: continuing to invest and perfect the transport and logistics infrastructure of HCM City; developing and improving the capacity and expertise of customs brokers; support the development of logistics service, especially 3PLs logistics services (third party logistics) and improve the efficiency of logistics services; building an alliance to facilitate trade in the Southeast economic region, to connect supply chains, expand markets, and maximise advantages from bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements.