Gradually Assisting Businesses to Improve Customs Laws Compliance

The General Department of Vietnam Customs recently coordinated with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to organize a conference on the deployment and signing of a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of a pilot program of supporting and encouraging businesses to voluntarily comply with customs laws.

The goal of the pilot program is for all joining enterprises, after two years of implementation, to gradually improve their compliance level (80% of compliance is medium and high). Respondents are propagandists that help other businesses have a better sense of voluntary regulatory compliance.

Joining the program will benefit businesses while enhancing the administrative effect of customs and other authorities to create a healthy business environment and raise national competitiveness. Therefore, enterprises are obliged to abide by the law by closely coordinating with customs authorities to reassess the current status of regulatory compliance (level and rating of compliance) to specify factors and causes that affect compliance and then have specific strategies to gradually improve voluntary compliance plans. 

The Risk Management Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC) is a lead coordinator for GDC agencies; the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and business associations summarize problems, provide detailed instructions and provide general instructions for the program to achieve its given goals.

Speaking at the conference, GDC Deputy General Director Hoang Viet Cuong emphasized that this is a pilot program, so the selection of participants is also carefully considered, with the first phase having 266 companies of all types, such as State-owned enterprises, foreign-invested companies, SMEs, importers and exporters. Then, customs authorities will have an overview for developing appropriate methods for each type.

Also at the conference, a USAID representative said, “The Trade Facilitation Project is funded with more than US$21.7 million by USAID and will be implemented for 2018-2023 period to support the Vietnamese government to apply a risk-based approach to customs procedures and specialized inspections, thus effectively effectuating the World Trade Organization (WTO) Free Trade Agreement.”

Leaders of Hai Phong, Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh customs departments signed a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of the pilot program with local importers and exporters. 

Hien Phuc (Vietnam Business Forum)