Quang Ninh Customs makes efforts to help businesses improve compliance with customs laws

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Customs officers of Hon Gai Port Border Gate Customs Branch ( Quang Ninh Customs Department) at work. Photo: Quang Hung

Businesses satisfied

Since the General Department of Customs issued the pilot program to support and encourage businesses to voluntarily comply with the customs law (from July 15, 2022), Quang Ninh Customs has disseminated it to the units, appointing civil servants to join a working team (including 1 leader of the Department, Head of Risk Management Division and 1 civil servant) of the General Department of Customs (issued together with Decision No. 1900 on August 29, 2022). The department has directed the branches to actively summarize the implementation content and method, the meaning of the Program, and produce communication materials to introduce at business dialogue conferences to create a positive effect both during and after the conference. In addition, Quang Ninh Department has worked with the Risk Management Department (General Department of Customs) to organize a workshop to discuss solutions and gather opinions in a comprehensive way from both enforcement agencies and businesses to bring practical effectiveness following the set goals.

By November 2022, Quang Ninh Customs Department had signed a memorandum of understanding and issued an Action Plan to improve compliance for 14 enterprises participating in the Program. At the same time, the unit had updated the membership record at the Customs Risk Management System (CRMS) and sent all Notices to member enterprises, including an analysis of violations (if any) the enterprise has encountered, the impact of that violation on the compliance assessment, thereby proposing a solution to support enterprises to avoid recidivism, gradually improve their compliance.

To directly support businesses, Quang Ninh Customs Department has issued a Decision to establish a working team to implement the Program. The team consists of the Deputy Director as the Team Leader and the Head of the Risk Management Department as the Deputy Team Leader and civil servants who are working at the border-gate customs branches, the leader/deputy leader of the groups/teams: Customs-Business Advisory Team; The team supports and handles customs procedures; Information Support Team for Enterprises of Quang Ninh Customs Department(ISEC); The team supports mechanisms and policies and accompanies businesses. Currently, the working team has regularly kept in contact, provided quarterly warning information, and supported businesses participating in the Program in many ways through phone, email or direct support at the customs checkpoint at the enterprise headquarters. Particularly for the case of direct support at the unit, the Customs officer is assigned to monitor and support business directly at the workplace or the Citizens Reception Room of the customs branch.

Speaking to Customs Magazine, most member enterprises were satisfied when participating in the pilot program to support and encourage enterprises to voluntarily comply with the customs law at the Quang Ninh Customs Department. Because as member enterprises, they enjoy many benefits from the Program and have a sense of complying with customs law and other relevant laws. In addition, they expect the Program to be officially launched soon and expand more businesses.

Ensuring the best support to enterprises

To further improve the effectiveness of the Program, Quang Ninh Customs Department proposed that the Risk Management Department consider and review the criteria for selecting enterprises which are export processing, manufacturing and exporting enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises with great contributions to the local budget in the direction of expanding the scope of businesses participating in the Program shortly. Furthermore, the Risk Management Department is asked to consider and recommend the General Department of Customs to review the compliance assessment criteria on the system, especially the criterion of the number of declarations in 365 days for enterprises such as manufacturing enterprises and propose a plan to help member enterprises.

Quang Ninh Customs makes efforts to raise trade flows

The General Department of Customs is proposed to provide specific instructions on the coordination and information provided among local customs departments in case the member enterprises that open declarations at many different customs departments with violations that be prosecuted or sanctioned of being withdrawn their membership in the Program. At the same time, it is proposed to study and supplement the contents of specific supporting activities of the Customs to facilitate further the application of inspection and supervision measures in the customs clearance and post-clearance stages for member enterprises. It is necessary to have a document guiding the coordination between local customs departments when carrying out customs procedures for member enterprises, to ensure that businesses are supported in the best way, thereby bringing substantial benefits for member enterprises.