Traders highly appreciate Customs IT applications

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IT applications have covered most Customs operational activities. Photo by Quang Tan: operational activities in Lang Son Department of Customs

Rapid clearance

Having worked for one of the Customs brokers dealing with a huge number of Customs declarations at Hai Phong’s seaports over the past years, Ms. Mai Thanh Phuong – a staff in charge of import and export procedures at a branch of Kien Vuong Company Ltd. in Hai Phong said that her company has actively joined Customs IT applications such as VNACCS/VCIS, coding application on declarations for Customs supervision; e-payment through commercial banks etc from the early days.

“At first, such IT applications had certain difficulties deriving from traders’ unfamiliarity and IT infrastructure’s shortcomings, particularly unstable communication lines. Now the applications are running smoothly, facilitating traders in fast clearance” commented Mai Thanh Phuong.

Ms. Mai Thanh Phuong showed one example of using codes for imports and exports supervision. Instead of having taken 20 minutes or more to check each container for the purpose of supervision as before, it now takes only few minutes for a Customs official to do such work when he uses a code reader for checking in the supervision area. With the average amount of declarations of about 15 – 20 per day for tens of containers (imports), clearance time has been shortened significantly due to these applications.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Cuong, Deputy Head of Planning and Business Division in charge of import and export under Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Joint Stock Corporation (TISCO) said that the recent e-payment method via commercial banks really facilitated traders in cases of paying value added tax (VAT).

Conducting online money transfer, traders do not have to come to the banks but are able to complete their Customs duty obligations online. On the other hand, the fact that Customs and traders exchange details on tax payment before carrying out steps of e-payment helps minimize errors.

Uniform electronic systems

According to the General Department of Customs, some recent achievements can be listed as follows:

By the end of July, 31 administrative formalities by related ministries (excluding Customs procedures) have been performed via the National Single Window with 143,318 dossiers by 7,000 traders. Associated ministries and agencies which have many formalities to be completed include the Ministry of Transport (11 formalities); the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (9 formalities), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (4 formalities)…

In Taxation, by the end of July, Customs had signed agreements on collecting import and export duties via electronic means with 28 banks. The entire revenue was 126,295 billion dong, accounting for 90.35% of the whole revenue of Customs.

Coordination with port businesses in joint supervision of goods in the light of the Article 41 of the Law on Customs has been conducted with the involvement of 5 businesses in Hai Phong, contributing to reduce clearance time and time for Customs procedures, facilitating people and traders. This method is currently being considered to be applied broadly in Ho Chi Minh City Department of Customs and Da Nang Department of Customs.

A leader of the Information Technology and Statistics Department under the General Department of Customs added: Based on former IT programs which have run stably, the General Department of Customs would further collaborate with service suppliers to maintain, operate and keep network infrastructure, facilities, equipment and the security system stable and smoothly running 24/7, ready to support VNACCS/VCIS and satellite systems; expanding the Single Window and ASEAN Single Window implementation.

Looking into recent content and achievements of Customs IT applications, in addition to performing Customs procedures via electronic means, the General Department of Customs has actively coordinated with concerned ministries and agencies to connect IT systems in a uniform manner, creating favourable conditions for the business community in undergoing import and export procedures.