Ministry of Finance directs to strengthen fight against smuggling, trade fraud and tax evasion

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Customs officers at Saigon Port Zone 4 (HCMC Customs Department) use sniffer dogs to detect drugs in import and export goods. Photo: T. Hoa.

Promote the responsibility of leaders

To strictly implement the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister in synchronously and drastically implementing solutions to facilitate trade and ensure strict control and strict handling of smuggling, trade fraud, and tax evasion to maintain stability for socio-economic development, the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance requires heads of units: General Department of Customs, General Department of Taxation, Inspectorate of the Ministry of Finance within the scope of their functions and tasks to implement related contents.

That is, continue to promptly and effectively implement the directives and management documents of the Government, Prime Minister, National Steering Committee 389, Steering Committee 138/CP, etc in the work of combating smuggling and trade fraud.

Promote and attach responsibility to leaders at all levels in performing assigned functions, tasks, and powers. In particular, the heads of units are assigned to thoroughly disseminate and direct civil servants, public employees, and workers to grasp and properly and fully implement legal regulations and professional procedures; at the same time, promote the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity; fight and prevent the degradation of political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle; build a team of cadres and civil servants to ensure work requirements in the new situation; have a mechanism to screen, replace, and rotate those who are not qualified to work, do not complete their tasks, and violate the law.

The General Department of Customs focuses on fighting against key items

According to the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department (General Department of Customs), the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance assigned the General Department of Customs to promote information collection and grasp the area; deploying and applying synchronous professional measures in customs inspection, supervision and control to prevent, detect, stop and strictly handle acts of smuggling, trade fraud, transfer pricing, tax evasion, money laundering of enterprises participating in import and export activities etc.

In particular, focusing on key items such as prohibited goods, drugs, taxable goods, conditional import and export goods, etc, items with high risks of trade fraud, origin fraud to minimize risks and avoid trade sanctions from major trading partners to Vietnam.

Strengthen information exchange, coordinate with units under the Ministry (General Department of Taxation, Ministry Inspectorate, etc), domestic functional forces (Police, Border Guard, Market Surveillance, Banks, etc) and foreign forces (Interpol, WCO, Customs of other countries, etc) in exchanging information, developing plans, plans to investigate, verify, fight, and effectively prevent subjects with acts of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the customs field.

For the General Department of Taxation, the Ministry of Finance's Steering Committee 389 assigned to strengthen inspection and control of taxpayers' activities, strictly manage the use of Value Added Tax invoices. In particular, strengthen tax management, focus on inspection and examination to prevent tax losses in high-risk areas and contents such as: e-commerce and business on digital platforms; tax refund; transfer pricing; real estate transfer; capital transfer; illegal purchase and use of invoices; legalizing smuggled goods, tax evasion, etc.

The Ministry of Finance’s Steering Committee 389 assigned the Ministry of Finance Inspectorate to preside over and coordinate with relevant units to determine collective and individual responsibilities for the complicated and prolonged smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods situation, or for hot spots to arise in the areas under their management and responsibility without timely solutions to combat and prevent them; strictly handle collectives and individuals who have negative behaviors, cover up, assist, and protect smugglers, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods.