In 2017: Customs sector successfully completed many tasks assigned

Mobile container detector operating in Hai Phong Customs Photo: T. Binh.

Continue to facilitate the business

In 2017, the General Department of Customs has accelerated the reform of administrative procedures at all stages: building institutions, policies, laws and handling administrative procedures. In addition, the Customs sector will continue to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to expand the number of administrative procedures implemented through the National Single Window mechanism. To review the relevant documents implementing the Scheme on solutions to improve the efficiency of specialized inspection of export goods, and to attach importance to the reform of administrative procedures within the branch.

The reform of Customs administrative procedures has contributed to the shorten time of customs clearance of export goods, creating favorable conditions for enterprises. This has been shown from the administration data.

Implementing the National Single Window, ASEAN Single Window, National Airways National Single Window mechanism in 2017 has been implemented by the General Department of Customs. Official link to the National Single Window with 11 ministries, and sectors; 47 administrative procedures of 10 ministries, the rest deployed with total administrative records processed more than 790.7 thousand sets of nearly 20,000 enterprises. Launch of the National Trade Information Portal (VTIP) to meet an important commitment under the Trade Facilitation Agreement and to provide useful information related to import and export trade.

Particularly, as the unit responsible for the specialized inspection of import and export goods, the General Department of Customs has actively coordinated with the specialized management ministries to review, amend and supplement legal documents in the field of management and specialized inspection. There were 75/87 (86%) documents amended, supplemented and superseded by Decision No. 2026/QD-TTg.

In addition, in the year 2017, the Customs Department has set up a system of managing goods processing and export production under the new management mode; Customs management and supervision systems at seaports and airports ensure the requirements for inspection and supervision of goods from the beginning to the end. Upgrading and building other information technology systems to improve the level of automation in the areas of customs operations such as risk management systems; the system of import and export statistics. Ensuring the management and operation of VNACCS/VCIS automatic clearing system and stable information technology systems 24/7, and completing the overall information security architecture of the Customs.

Together with that, the General Department of Customs shall concentrate on perfecting the customs procedures and intensifying the application of information technology to the customs management and supervision of export and transit goods and means of transport. Transit, entry and transit, ensure strict management before, during and after customs clearance, and at the same time create favorable conditions for enterprises in import-export activities to reduce customs clearance time.

Customs supervision and management in the past year continued to be strengthened in all stages, such as promptly proposing amendments and supplements to legal documents; strong application of information technology in customs supervision management; to step up the inspection and examination of the implementation according to the professional procedures of customs procedures. Attaching importance to investing in modern equipment to solve difficulties and obstacles for enterprises in carrying out customs procedures for facilitating import-export activities.

It can be seen that accelerating the application of information technology in customs operations contributes to facilitating trade activities, increasing transparency, decreasing time, saving costs, enhancing competitiveness for Vietnamese enterprises. At the same time, to improve the capacity of State management over customs, to realize the objectives of the Vietnam Customs Development Strategy till 2020.

Effective loss prevention

In the 2017 state budget revenue, some key commodities with high revenues tended to decrease sharply compared to the same period last year, along with the decrease of crude oil price, tax reduction when joining Free Trade Agreements (FTA), they had a negative impact on the state budget revenues of the customs sector. In order to reach the revenue target, the General Department of Customs has implemented many synchronous and drastic measures such as assigning revenue targets and urging regular collection work for each provincial/ municipal Customs Department; To promptly remove difficulties and problems related to tax policies; To take the initiative in reviewing and inspecting commodity items with high tax rates, especially high turnover, in particular, enhancing the work of the domestic economy, internal inspection and anti-fraud in customs procedures. Thanks to that, the Customs sector has effectively avoided losses.

With the efforts of the whole sector, the revenue of the Customs Office in 2017 reached 297,082 billion VND, equaling 104.24% of the estimate, equaling 102.44% of the target set by the Prime Minister, equal to 100.71 % of the target assigned by the Communist Party Committee of the Ministry of Finance (295 trillion VND), up 9.47% over the same period of 2016.

For the post clearance inspection, the Department of Customs, the General Department of Customs, has focused on directing the whole post clearance inspection forces to review and implement the post clearance inspection on special topics, focusing on post-customs clearance of complicated commodities with high turnover, possible fraudulent codes, such as cars, alcohol, beer, paper, cosmetics etc. Strengthened the inspection and guidance of local implementation of the post clearance inspection. They also carried out some business of post clearance inspection in Customs Department: Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Lang Son.

Therefore, in 2017, the whole sector has performed 8,997 post clearance inspections, of which 1,265 inspections at customs offices (reaching 102% of 2017 targets) and 7,722 at Customs offices. The total amount of tax determination and administrative fines is 2,454.6 billion VND; it has actually collected 2,231.5 billion VND (equal to 112% of the 2017 target of 2, 000 billion VND, equivalent to 86% over the same period of 2016).

In risk management, in 2017, the Customs Department detected about 5,000 major violations. At the same time, the entire sector has been coordinated to implement risk management measures such as risk management, risk profiles, compliance measurement, risk portfolio, coordination of activities etc., through which, many exports and imports, violations of immigration, increased the amount of tax receivable to billions.

In particular, an effective tool against losses is the anti-smuggling and trade fraud that has been implemented by the General Department of Customs actively and fiercely. In 2017, many large-scale violations were detected and arrested in time: drugs, marijuana, firecrackers, gold, counterfeit money, CITES items; smuggling petrol, diesel oil, coal, minerals, alcohol, cigarettes etc.; Goods must have conditional permits, machinery used from the US, Japan etc.; Consumer goods, food, commodities affecting public health etc.

At the same time as the standing body of Steering Board 389 of the Ministry of Finance, the General Department of Customs has advised the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with ministries, branches and functional agencies to strengthen the work of prevention and combating. smuggling, trade frauds, counterfeit goods and illegal cross-border goods transportation; To direct the units to seriously and effectively implement a number of important measures, focusing on: Building and perfecting legal bases; to raise the capacity of anti-smuggling forces; To invest in modern equipment and means; using synchronous measures of business; To intensify the coordination, inspection and regular control in key localities and sensitive commodities.

Therefore, the work of counseling and directing anti-smuggling activities is timely and focused, closely monitoring the situation of crime, promptly preventing and combating smuggling and illegal transportation of goods cross the border within the area of customs operation. In 2017, the Customs Control Department of the whole sector struggled, discovered, arrested and handled 15,184 cases of customs offenses (down 1.97% over the same period in 2016); Estimated value of infringing goods: 789, 579 billion VND (up 89.58% over the same period of 2016). The amount of state budget revenue is 334.8 billion VND (up 95.5% over the same period of 2016). Customs authorities prosecuted 51 cases (up 6.25% over the same period of 2016). Other agencies prosecuted 68 cases (down 39.29% over the same period of 2016).

The results achieved in 2017 are important for the General Department of Customs and the whole Finance sector for 2018, the pivotal year in the implementation of the socio-economic development plan 2016-2020.