Devising Strategy for Better Customs Service to Business Community

Always being at the forefront of administrative reform and modernization, the customs sector continues to make every effort to better serve the business community and increase revenue for the State Budget every year. The sector targets to reach the level of developed countries in the world in the 2021 - 2030 period.

Better service for the business community

The General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC) drafted the Customs Development Strategy for the 2021 - 2030 period that aims to build a regular and modern Vietnam Customs on par with the customs sector of developed countries in the world, and lead the construction of a digital government, driven by a smart customs model.

Before submitting the draft strategy to the Prime Minister for consideration and ratification, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and GDC are consulting ministries, sectors and trade associations to finalize it.

To achieve the above goal, the draft strategy aims to improve service quality for people and businesses that carry out customs procedures, customs administration and effective tax collection, facilitate cross-border trade, tourism and transport, build a transparent and fair import-export environment, helps enhance national competitiveness, ensure social security and safety and protect national interests and sovereignty.

Specifically, the customs sector will continue to build a legal foundation for modern customs, ensure a full regulatory basis for smart customs development and implementation and perform specialized inspections of goods imported at the border gate.

Laws on customs, export tax, import tax, tax administration are closely linked and unified.

It will reform customs administrative procedures toward transparency, simplicity, consistency, in line with standards and recommendations of the World Customs Organization to reduce the time and cost of carrying out customs clearance procedures.

Toward smart customs

According to GDC, the Draft Customs Development Strategy underlines a lean customs apparatus that will reduce intermediaries to adopt a smart customs model and carry out specialized inspections of imported goods at the border gate.

At the same time, the customs sector will centralize, modernize and automate customs inspection, supervision and control; accelerate inspection before and after customs clearance; deploy smart border models and green customs; reform specialized inspection of imported and exported goods at the border gate; facilitate lawful trade, prevent and reverse the risk of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across borders, and defend legitimate rights and interests of business organizations, individuals and consumers.

Accordingly, the customs sector targets to digitize 100% of customs documents and install automatic cargo management and monitoring systems equipped with cargo and baggage screening system, a camera monitoring system and other supporting equipment for customs supervision at all key ports and border gates by 2030.

This draft strategy also sets out specific goals for 2025 and 2030. By 2025, the sector will basically complete digital customs towards a paperless environment, handle 90% of work records filed to the GDC in the network environment (except for work records classified as state secrets); 80% of customs inspection is carried out through the digital environment; 100% of administrative procedures are performed at the National Single Window; and 100% of administrative procedures. The sector will, at the same time, integrate its system with the National Public Service Portal; manage tax affairs electronically using modern management methods; and internalize all international customs commitments.

By 2030, GDC will complete smart customs and bring business satisfaction to 95% or more; digitize 100% of customs documents; install automatic cargo monitoring management systems at all key international ports and border gates; impose customs supervision on 100% of high-risk goods transported by containers; and receive and process information on exports and imports before trucks carry commodities across all land border gates.

By Le Hien, Vietnam Business Forum