HCMC Customs: Hurry up to finish revenue collection

Customs officers at Saigon port area 1 checked the imported goods in the afternoon of November 29th 2016. Photo: Thu Hòa

Have to collect 500 billion VND everyday

According to HCMC Customs Department, at the end of 22th November 2016, the Department has obtained 88.160,646 billion VND for the State Budget, reaching 86% compared to the planned targets. In particular, many units have over-fulfilled the assigned target such as: Saigon port area 2 Customs Branch; Tan Cang port Customs Branch; Processing Customs Branch and Tan Thuan Export processing Zone Customs Branch. However, those units have lower revenue than the other units with the highest assigned target is 240 billion VND.

The other Customs Branches are also assigned high collection targets, notably, there are 2 Customs Branches: Saigon port area 1 and Investment Customs Branch that accounted for over 50% of total revenue of whole Department. Till now, these Customs Branches have collected revenues well, higher than the average revenue of the entire Department. Specifically, the Customs Branch of Saigon ports area 1 which was assigned 33.200 billion VND, has gained actually 29.223 billion VND, achieved over 88%; Investment Customs Branch was assigned 21.000 billion VND, has gained actually 18,854 billion VND, reached 89.78%. This rate was higher than the overall rate of the entire Department which is 86%.

During the time, the revenue from typical imported goods such as petroleum, iron and steel have fallen compared to the same period in 2015, it has affected the revenues of the unit. According to an analysis by leader of Customs Branch of Saigon Port area 3, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nam, in the previous years ago, Customs Branch of Saigon Port area 3 normally had the largest collection in the whole department, but this year, the revenues decreased due to imported petroleum fell more than 50%; revenues from iron and steel products, automobile imports fell sharply because of adjustment of tax policy and commodity policy, etc. Therefore, in 2016, the Department was assigned to collect 22.000 billion VND, until November 25^th 2016, the Department has collected 17.879 billion VND, achieved over 81%. With this current situation, the unit is difficult to accomplish targets.

According to the analysis of the HCMC Customs Department, for the average per day (excluding Sundays), the HCMC Department have to collect 500 billion VND so they can achieve the assigned target as planned.

Put more effort

To accomplish the revenue targets in 2016, currently, the units in HCMC Customs Department are racing each day, implement many effective solutions to collect revenue. In particular, focusing on collecting debts and preventing loss of revenue through the anti-smuggling and post-clearance audit, inspect Customs valuation, etc.

In briefings early last week, leaders of HCMC Customs Department directed the units, except from focusing against losses of revenue, the units need to follow up the production plans of enterprises that have high export turnover in order to facilitate to the enterprises, raise revenue for the units. Besides that, need to focus on collecting debts in the last month of 2016. According to HCMC Customs Department, in recent time, the Customs Branches are trying their best to handle and collect debts thus they have achieved good results. To November 22th 2016, the Department has executed and collected over 325 billion VND of taxation, achieve nearly 95% assigned target by General Department of Customs in 2016 (342.607 billion VND). In that, they handled over 178 billion VND of tax debts incurred before 2016.

Currently, the total tax debt in HCMC Customs Department is over 2,362 billion VND. In particular, the total bad debts are over 1,379 billion VND; recoverable debts are over 983 billion VND. In the total of recoverable debts, a rise in 3 criteria ie. Debt overdue more than 90 days is 805,556 billion VND (up 9.599 billion VND); debt overdue for less than 90 days is 159,143 billion VND (up 11.151 billion VND) and debt is delayed payment: 18,509 billion VND (increase of 308 billion VND). The reason is that the debts incurred during the tax assessment for the declaration has to do with post-clearance audit. From early 2016 to the present, HCMC Customs Department has completed enterprises records that owed debt and erased 3 billion VND of tax debts. Thus, by implementing Circular No. 179/2013 / TT-BTC of the Ministry of Finance, HCMC Customs Department has procedures and erased 65.5 billion VND of tax debts for the enterprises.