Minimise cash transactions via State Treasury system

The State Treasury office has no customers due to the promotion of online public services. Photo: Thùy Linh

Just under 1%

One of the clear results of the implementation of e-Treasury is that the amount of cash through the State Treasury system is completely absent. According to the State Treasury's report, in 2020, the State budget revenues in cash through the State Treasury system account for 0.71% of the total revenues through the State Treasury (down 0.1% compared to the end of 2019); State budget expenditure in cash through the State Treasury accounted for 1.1% of the total expenditure through the State Treasury (down 1.42% compared to the end of 2019).

Recognising the fact that in many State Treasury offices in provinces and cities nationwide, after implementing non-cash payment measures, in the past few years, cash transactions have mainly belonged to individuals with small revenues like administrative fines, traffic violations and real estate registration fees. However, by 2020, almost all of these revenues have been made through the commercial banking system signed with the State Treasury.

To achieve this result, according to Nguyen Van Quang, Deputy Director of Legal Department (State Treasury), the State Treasury has instructed people, businesses and transaction units to use non-cash payment method for State budget revenues and expenditures and strictly control cash payments.

In State budget collection, the State Treasury has expanded the network of specialised collection accounts, promoted coordination of collection and authorised State budget collection for commercial banks with various forms (tax collection authorisation fees, charges, and fines for administrative violations), especially the mandate to collect in cash. The State Treasury has also worked with the General Department of Taxation, the General Department of Customs and commercial banks to implement a project to modernise state budget revenues to share collection data and organise the coordination of state budget collection by electricity such as: transfer, internet banking, Mobile banking, ATM or through the web portal of General Department of Taxation, the General Department of Customs and pay 24/7. This both facilitates and encourages taxpayers to pay the State budget electronically.

The State Treasury presided over the submission to the Ministry of Finance for submission to the Government for promulgation of Decree No. 11/2020/ND-CP dated January 20, 2020, on the administrative procedures in the State Treasury sector. In this decree, there are additional provisions on electronic payment of money into the State budget via the National Public Service Portal and providers of intermediary payment services, through electronic applications of the commercial bank. As a result, both save time for the payers, while enhancing the transparency in the management of State budget revenues.

Nguyen Van Quang said this was the result of the efforts and determination of the whole system in administrative reform as well as compliance with the Government's non-cash payment target.

Complete legal basis

In the strategy for the development of the State Treasury system to 2030, the main objective is towards formation of a digital treasury. To do this, completely cutting out all cash transactions is important.

However, the implementation of non-cash payments through the State Treasury still has some problems. The reality in many localities shows that the current infrastructure system for personal payment via commercial banks' accounts mostly only meets the needs in the centres of cities, and towns that have not yet met the demand for use in mountainous, remote and isolated districts. Many customers also reported that ATM system sometimes lost power, technical errors and transaction suspension affecting transactions with the State Treasury.

Facing this, in the coming time, the State Treasury is focusing on completing the legal basis. In 2021, the State Treasury will submit to the Ministry of Finance an amendment to Circular 13/2017/TT-BTC regulating the management of cash revenues and expenditures through the State Treasury system and Circular No. 136/2018/TT-BTC amending Circular 13 towards reducing the limit of cash spending in one transaction at the State Treasury of budget spending units and regulations for budget-using units to withdraw cash from accounts opened at commercial banks where they are convenient for transactions. At the same time, the State Treasury proposed the State Bank propose amending Decree No. 222/2013/ND-CP of the Government on cash payments. The amendment of this decree will supplement regulations on fixing the fee for cash services of the State Treasury.

The State Treasury will expand the implementation of payment via credit card purchases; control automatic payment for expenses for the purchase of goods and services for use before and after payment (electricity, water and telecommunications). At the same time, to expand the range of subjects required to make personal payments via accounts for those who are entitled to pay wages from retained fees, non-business collection of public non-business units (not receiving salaries from the State budget) and individuals receiving monthly allowances and subsidies from the State budget.