Northern Customs Departments: Making efforts to achieve the highest revenue

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In the last months of the year, the Customs sector has enhanced working overtime for quick Customs clearance. In the photo: Customs officers at Mong Cai border gate under Quang Ninh Customs Department are inspecting import and export goods. Photo: Quang Hung.

Great efforts

In 2018, in the general context of the country, the revenue from import and export duties of the Northern Customs Department has been significantly affected by the tariff reduction from the FTA. Notably, more than 90% of commodity categories under the ATIGA (ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement) have been reduced import tax rates to 0%, of which the import tax rate for cars with 9 seats or less has remarkably reduced from 30% to 0%.

Hai Phong Customs is the unit collecting the second largest revenue in the Customs sector. Although, Hai Phong city has largest the volume of import and export goods in the North, the goods are processed not only at Hai Phong Customs Department, but also at other Customs Departments in the independent and combined transportation forms. Therefore, in the first 10 months of 2018, the revenue of Hai Phong Customs Department was lower than that in the same period of 2017.

However, in November, 2019, thanks to sticking to the tasks of budget collection, actively implementing drastic and synchronous solutions to fulfil the budget task, by handling outstanding tax debts the unit’s revenue has sharply increased, making the revenue exceed the revenue in the same period last year. To date, Hai Phong Cutoms Department has collected more than VND 51,196 billion, reaching 102.29% of assigned target and reaching 101.1% of the additional target.

At the Hanoi Customs Department, despite implementation of measures for trade facilitation and fight against revenue losses, due to the great impact of tariff reductions under the FTAs, as of 11 December 2018, Hanoi Customs Department has just collected about VND 20,553 billion, reaching over 87.28% of the assigned target (VND 23,550 billion). The pressure for completing the budget target in the last month of the year on Hanoi Customs Department is significant, when the state budget revenue is considerable with a remaining revenue of VND 2,997 billion.

Increasing revenue thanks to imported petroleum products, but an important factor to help Quang Ninh Customs exceed the revenue target early is the active and effective implementation of administrative reform, which creates favourable conditions for import-export activities of enterprises in the area, such as with implementing the project of centralized Customs clearance and management Model at Mong Cai Customs Branch; implementing the project of goods management and supervision at seaports at the Cai Lan port Customs Branch; implementing the project of management of Customs reform and modernization plan for the period 2016-2020, and detailed plan to implement Customs reform and modernization in 2018. This helps the Quang Ninh Customs’ revenue, which now has reached more than VND 9,572 billion, equivalent to 159.54% of the assigned target.

Not being significantly affected by tariff reductions under the FTAs, but the revenue of the Bac Ninh Customs Department has been affected by the slowdown of FDI enterprises in the province, so its current revenue as of 11 December 2018, was over VND 9,570 billion, reaching 92.03% of the assigned target.

In the northern mountainous Customs Departments, their revenues gained remarkable results, with the exception of Lang Son Customs Department. Despite all measures to facilitate and implement measures well to prevent revenue losses, due to the structure of imported goods through the area having changed in decreased proportion of goods subject to high tax rates, such as for lorries and components, truck tractors, trailer trucks, concrete pumping trucks from China. Especially in the first quarter of 2018, there were no enterprises importing trucks from China due to the impact of Prime Minister’s Decision 49/2011 / QD-TTg and Government’s Decree 116/2017 / ND-CP dated 17 October 2017, regulating the conditions of car imports; in addition, the import turnover of steel products and monosodium glutamate sharply decreased due to the impact of the macro management policies of the State to prevent inflation and reduce trade deficit. Thereby, Lang Son's Customs revenue accounts for only 62.41% of the estimate.

As the unit that achieved the revenue target early, thanks to the significant revenue from tobacco raw materials imported for processing and then selling to the local market under the on-spot import-export form, Cao Bang Customs has reached the two budget targets. By the end of 11 December 2018, Cao Bang Customs Department gained nearly VND 209,310 billion, surpassing 734.43% of the estimated target and 26.86% of the desired target.

Also completing the two budget targets early, the Lao Cai Customs Department earned VND 2,155 billion, reaching 163.29% of the estimated target and 107.77% of the additional target thanks to sharp increase in some imported commodities compared to the same period last year such as: coking coal, electric power, iron, steel, machinery and equipment, etc. Ha Nam Ninh Customs Department has also completed both the assigned targets. The Department’s revenue now is more than VND 5,728 billion, reaching 136.38% of the estimated target and 107.77% of the additional target.

At Dien Bien Customs Department, the increase in budget revenue mainly depends on the volume of imported goods to create fixed assets of hydropower projects in the area, and is thanks to the application of measures to manage the budget revenue and facilitate import-export activities. Currently, the revenue of this unit has reached VND 102.699 billion, equaling 205.40% of the ordinance target and reaching 102.70% of the additional target.

At Ha Giang the Customs Department, in 2018, the impact from the decline of enterprises in the area has strongly impacted not only the revenue collection. However, with many efforts, as of 11 December 2018, Ha Giang Customs collected about VND 262.787 billion, reaching 101.07% of the assigned target.

Persevere to achieve the highest revenue

Making tremendous efforts to achieve the highest revenue, the Northern Customs units whether the units have exceeded or have not exceeded the targets, continue to apply measures to achieve highest revenues.

For example, Hai Phong Customs, though the Department has completed the ordinance revenue target, it is still sticking to the budget collection measures and facilitating importer and exporters, especially enhancing Customs reform and modernization and coordinating with commercial banks in budget collection, and removing difficulties and obstacles for enterprises, together with boosting the risk management in the fight against smuggling and trade frauds; enhancing the inspection of debt management and taking measures to recover and handle outstanding debts according to regulations.

At the Hanoi Customs Department, the Department is still keen on collection measures, including measures to promptly solve problems arising from their competence related to Customs procedures, tax policies, tax administration, accounting system, tax refund, tax exemption and to remove difficulties for enterprise in tax payment. To continue reforming and simplifying administrative procedures in the field of customs, stepping up Customs modernization, applying IT to management and supervision of import-export goods and implementing administrative reform.

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Although state budget revenue gained a high rate, all the units do not have a relaxed psychology. Entering the spirit, Customs units have also set their own tasks on the basis of their actual situation to strive to achieve the highest revenues.