Supporting enterprise at Customs Branch of "tens of billion USD"

Customs officials of Bac Giang Industrial Park Customs Branch (Bac Ninh Customs Department) answer questions about customs procedures for businesses. Photo: Thái Bình

These days, when we are present at places of customs procedures at 5 out of 5 branches under Bac Ninh Customs Department, we can feel the urgent and professional working atmosphere of Customs officers. Not only arranging regular customs officers to handle procedures directly, branches also set up support teams to answer problems, and publicize emails and hotlines to be ready to answer problems when businesses require them.

The headquarters of Bac Giang industrial park Customs Branch (Bac Ninh Customs Department) is always bustling with vehicles entering and leaving the inspection yard. To ensure that professional activities take place smoothly from the declaration receiving area to the stages of inspection and supervision of goods, the goods are carried out smoothly and scientifically. The Customs Branch always tries to promote reform of administrative procedures to reduce cargo clearance time and facilitate businesses to come and carry out procedures.

Talking to reporters, Deputy Manager of Bac Giang industrial park Customs Branch Luong Tien Dung said that a problem-solving support team was established with the participation of the branch's leaders (forming a team to solve problems), along with members who are carefully selected civil servants with in-depth professional competence. Through hotline numbers, emails, etc., the team is responsible for receiving and answering questions directly and indirectly 24/7. Furthermore, with the motto "learning by doing", when procedures arise for new products, the customs officer at the place of carrying out procedures will directly guide and support, thereby bringing enterprises satisfaction when participating in customs procedures.

"The headquarters of many enterprises are close by, so the import-export staff of the companies often go to the headquarters of customs branch to both lodge declarations and handle arising problems so that import-export activities can be carried out quickly. To facilitate businesses, the customs branch has arranged an independent area with desks and internet connection," Mr. Luong Tien Dung added.

Thanks to the good performance in reforming administrative procedures, and supporting and accompanying businesses, from the beginning of 2022 until now, Bac Giang industrial park Customs Branch has attracted dozens of new businesses, contributing to the total number of enterprises carrying out customs procedures through the Customs Branch up to 700 enterprises, including 300 enterprises regularly operating import-export activities. By the end of July 2022, the import-export turnover through this branch reached over US$22.8 billion, an increase of 55% over the same period last year.

Through studying production activities at factories, the reporter also recorded the satisfaction of many businesses, as well as the assessment of the spirit and service attitude of customs officers. Thanks to the reform and support programme from the Customs authority over the past, it has helped enterprises be proactive in their production and business activities.

Mr. Shang Hsiao Cheng, Import-Export Director, Fuhong Precision Components Co., Ltd. (Dinh Tram Industrial Park, Bac Giang) shared: From the beginning of the year until now, due to objective impacts, the company has encountered some difficulties, but thanks to the support of the Bac Ninh Customs Department in general and Bac Giang Industrial Park Customs Branch in particular, the export production of goods of the company is still maintained.

We continued to visit the Yen Phong Industrial Park Customs Branch (Bac Ninh Customs Department). Currently, this branch has more than 100 enterprises that regularly carry out import-export procedures, especially with three authorized economic operators, which have a large number of declarations and import-export turnover. By August 4, the branch had handled procedures for 164,604 declarations, with a turnover of more than US$33.4 billion.

Leaders of this Customs Branch shared: During task performance, the unit actively guides businesses to handle difficult situations and assists in solving problems while making a declaration on the software. Customs officers and employees are ready to handle procedures outside of working hours, so there is no congestion of goods.

Talking to reporters, Director of Bac Ninh Customs Department Tran Duc Hung said that, besides the task of revenue collection, the unit strived to facilitate businesses engaging in import-export activities in the area, thereby contributing to investment attraction in the three provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen. As a result, investment projects in the past years in the three provinces have grown enormously, including a series of global enterprises with investment capital up to billions of dollars such as Samsung, Foxconn, Canon, and Sumitomo have chosen the provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen for investment in recent years.

"In order to implement the objective of the Customs Development Strategy to 2030, Bac Ninh Customs Department determined to complete and develop the unit to become an electronic, professional, effective and efficient customs authority based on strong application platform of achievements of the 4th Industrial Revolution, oriented towards a smart and modern Customs model on par with customs of developed countries in the world," Mr. Tran Duc Hung shared.