Quang Ninh Customs: renovating the investment and business environment to facilitate enterprises

Centralized model for Customs procedures and management is implemented at Mong Cai Customs Branch under Quang Ninh Customs Department from April 2018. Photo: Q. Hung.

Change management thinking

With its geo-economic location and geo-defence location, Quang Ninh province is identified as a pole of economic growth in the Red River Delta and the convenient "gateway" to enter the Chinese market through Mong Cai international border gate.

As the state management agency on customs in Quang Ninh province, over the past years, Quang Ninh Customs Department has always striven to renovate the investment and business to facilitate and create transparency and equality for enterprises engaging in import-export activities through Quang Ninh province, accordingly promoting the local economic growth and contributing to raising the PCI of Quang Ninh province.

Along with the strong economic growth of Quang Ninh province, the number of enterprises operating in the province is increasing. Thus, with the action motto of “four compliances” (compliance with policies, compliance with guidance, compliance with the unit and compliance with task) and “four companies” (company with local authority, company with enterprises, company with the unit and company with subordinates) together with “four reductions” (reduction of administrative procedures, reduction of time, reduction of costs and reduction of communication between Customs and enterprises), in 2018, Quang Ninh Customs Department focused on changing the thinking from administrative management into facilitation and service, and at the same time, drastically and synchronously implemented reform measures and supported enterprises with the commitments "Most devious - the fastest – the most satisfactory".

One of the bright spots in the Customs reform and modernization to support enterprises in 2018 was the launching of a centralized model for Customs procedures and management in Mong Cai Customs Branch from April 2018. This model is deployed on the basis of cutting agencies in charge of receiving dossiers and concentrating on processing at the branch’s office based on application of modern technology and equipment in order to minimize the procedures, paperwork, time and costs for enterprises. This is an innovative and creative model that clearly demonstrates the determination and action of Quang Ninh Customs in simplifying administrative procedures and for facilitating enterprises, and is recognized and appreciated by the General Department of Customs and the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province.

Along with that, Quang Ninh Customs Department determined and successfully implemented the automated system for seaport customs management and supervision at Cai Lan port Customs Branch in August, 2018, which put the modern Customs management into reality. Thereby, reducing the customs clearance time, storage time at port, papers and costs for import-export enterprises; raising the management and business efficiency of port operators; increasing the operation efficiency of shipping companies and enhancing the quality and efficiency of customs management.

Determining the modernization of human resources, raising the quality, professional qualification, spirit and attitude to serve the people and enterprises as one of the solutions for effective reform and modernization, Quang Ninh Customs Department has built a contingent of Customs officers who are qualified, well-skilled, ethical, proficient in technology and good at soft skills. At the same time, the unit has carried out the assessment of professional capacity of officers through the knowledge tests in four areas of key operations in order to motivate officers to study, learn and improve themselves.

Change development strategy of Customs business partnership

In addition to efforts for customs reform and modernization to facilitate import-export activities, the Customs-business partnership is developed deeply and widely from the Department level to the Branch level. Hundreds of delegations led by the leaders of the provincial Customs Department and the leaders of the Customs Branches in the spirit of learning, facilitation and service, have visited enterprises to exchange, share and remove difficulties and obstacles for enterprises, thereby placing sustainable trust between businesses and Customs.

2018 marks the movement to a new height in the partnership between Quang Ninh Customs Department and enterprises - from the relationship between "subject of management" into "Reliable, sustainable partner”, which is marked by the signing of the coordination Regulation on task performance between Quang Ninh Customs Department and Quang Ninh Business Association

Dialogues and customs – business consulting conferences are also organized professionally in accordance with each business group and each import and export regime. At the same time, the provincial People's Committee of Quang Ninh province took advantage of participating with the General Department of Customs to promptly and effectively remove and solve difficulties and problems of each group of enterprises.

Promoting the active and creative spirit; Quang Ninh Customs Department has proposed and advised the competent authorities with solutions to solve many difficulties and problems for enterprises and quickly deploy solutions to support enterprises. Typically, it advised the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province to preside over the conference to promote border gate economy in Mong Cai, and prepared a conference to remove difficulties for enterprises engaging in import and export activities through seaports.

In 2018, Quang Ninh Customs Department continues to conduct business satisfaction surveys for Customs operation through the CDCI + index. This is the second year that Quang Ninh Customs Department has consulted the business community as the basis to actively overcome existing weaknesses, towards perfecting the profession, and providing best services to enterprises.

Efforts in accompanying with enterprises have contributed to trust and faith, and attracting enterprises to carry out procedures through the area. Only in the first seven months of 2018, there were nearly 150 new enterprises carrying out their procedures, bringing the total number of enterprises carrying out procedures through Quang Ninh province to 768 enterprises with 29,975 declarations, up 5.8% in number of enterprises and up 11.6% in number of declarations over the same period in 2017. Of which 248 enterprises are in the province, up 4.2% and 520 enterprises are outside the province, up 6.6%.

This has also boosted state budget collection from import-export activities. By the end of July 2018, Quang Ninh Customs collected VND 6,375 billion, reaching 106.25% of the target set by the Ministry of Finance, reaching 67.1% of the target assigned by the General Department of Customs, which contributed to increasing the provincial budget revenue to VND 24.598 billion, equal to 68% of the yearly estimate and up 17% over the same period of 2017.

These results above were due to the positive contribution from improvement of the investment and business environment and enhancement of the competitiveness of Quang Ninh province.

Taking satisfaction and development of enterprises as a core and sustainable measure in the following years, Quang Ninh Customs Department continues to commit to be active, creative and to innovate to accompany and support enterprises on the basis of reliable partners for development; co-development towards a convenient and transparent investment, contributing to enhancing the business environment.

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