Ho Chi Minh Customs: Peak period deployment for anti-smuggling in the last months of the year

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Ecstasy was detected by Ho Chi Minh Customs in June 2018. Photo: T.H

Typically, at the end of August 2018, Sai Gon Seaport Customs Branch of Zone I sanctioned an administrative violation of over VND 281 million for P.L Limited Liability Company (in District 11 - Ho Chi Minh City) and collected over VND 1.4 billion of Tax arrears for color glass commodity valued at VND 3.2 billion. Through dossier inspection, the Customs detected that the company falsely declared code and tax rate, leading to an insufficiency of tax payable, so, the Customs made a report on the administrative violation and sanctioned the company.

Previously, on 23 August 2018, Sai Gon Seaport Customs Branch of Zone I made a report on administrative violation of L.M.T.T Limited Liability Company (Luong Dinh Cua Street, Binh An Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City) for the act of false declaration of category, code of goods and tax rate, leading to insufficiency of tax payable for a consignment of 11,843 kgs of fabric valued at over VND 3.1 billion. The Branch fined this company nearly VND 90 million and collected nearly VND 450 million.

Notably, through the inspection for cleared consignments, the Customs detected that many cases of insufficiently paid taxes were due to false declarations of goods codes. For example, the case of inspecting 51 import declarations of fruit syrups of L.G.V One Member Limited Liability Company (District 7- Ho Chi Minh), the Sai Gon Seaport Customs Branch of Zone 1 detected that the company falsely declared tax codes, tax rate, leading to the insufficiency of tax payable. The value of infringing goods under 51 declarations was over VND 41.6 billion. The Sai Gon Seaport Customs Branch of Zone I issued the decision on collecting nearly VND 2.3 billion of tax arrears and fined over VND 457 million for this company.

On 28th August 2018, the Sai Gon Seaport Customs Branch of Zone 1 made a report on administrative violation for M. Production Limited Liability Company (Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province) on the act of falsely declaring goods code, leading to the insufficiency of tax payable. Specifically, through the inspection from 1st January 2016 to 30th June 2017, the Customs detected that this company opened 8 declarations to import solar water heater parts valued at VND 4.4 billion, but falsely declared goods code and tax rate. This company was fined over VND 77 million and had to pay nearly 400 million of tax.

Besides sea route, the air route and international post route in the city are also considered by Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department as a hot place for drug transportation.

According to Pham Quoc Hung, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, from the beginning of the year to now, drugs have been illegally transported to Ho Chi Minh City through 3 main routes: Airline, express delivery service and foreign post office. The drug crimes regularly take advantage of non-commercial import and export regime for smuggling. In which, Tan Son Nhat International Airport is the key area with high risks on transporting drugs, especially, the export of heroine and pre-substances, and import of cocaine, marijuana, synthetic drugs and ecstasy. The international post route and express delivery are the key routes for the import of drugs containing narcotic substances, psychotropics, synthetic drugs, ecstasy in the form of gifts and donations.

"In addition to the implementation of Directive 4550/CT-TCHQ dated 2 August, 2018, issued by the General Director of Vietnam Customs on strengthening the anti-drug enforcement in Customs operation area, Customs units need to develop specific plans on prevention in each route,” Mr. Hung said.

Ho Chi Minh Customs Department: Collecting thousands of billion VND from tax audit and anti-loss of tax revenue VCN- In 2017, thanks to effective implementation of tax audit and measures of anti-loss of tax revenue, ...

According to Mr. Hung, the smuggling and trade frauds took place complicatedly; there were many imported banned goods and goods subject to conditional imports. Thereby, in the last months of the year, Customs units must always be vigilant and regularly strengthen the measures to effectively prevent. Especially, for the automated goods clearance, because many new tricks with high risks occur such as: drugs, good infringing on intellectual property; fake goods; dutiable value, tax rate and transfer pricing; specialized policies, especially, frauds in scrap imported as raw material for processing. Focusing on directing the fight against smuggling on key commodities under schemes, the key routes and areas with high risk, and handling for goods backlogged over 90 days.