5:19:47 PM | 17/9/2009
A ViB Forum reporter was granted an exclusive talk with Mr Le Van Danh, Director of Dong Nai Customs Department, on the remarkable activities in the first months of 2009 and orientations for the coming time.
Could you talk about some noteworthy activities of the Dong Nai Customs Department in the first eight months of 2009?
In the first months of 2009, the Dong Nai Customs Department drastically implemented measures to advance public administration reforms to facilitate importers and exporters to clear customs procedures in line with the instructions of the Ministry of Finance. Thus, the time for customs procedure clearance is shortened.
In 2009, the Dong Nai Customs Department granted the renewed the ISO 9001: 2008 quality management system certificate. The department is the first State-funded organ to obtain the ISO certificate, version 2008 - the newest. According to this quality management system, the Dong Nai Customs Department printed and sent 660 survey copies to companies working with customs offices in Dong Nai province to evaluate the service quality and working spirit of customs officers and to know more about difficulties and challenges that enterprises encounter.
The Dong Nai Customs Department is the first and unique unit of the customs sector to coordinate with the Treasury of Dong Nai Province to set up and operate tax data transmission and reception with all customs offices to immediately update tax data into the Programme KT559. At the same time, the Department has coordinated with relevant units to carry out the second phase of tax payment management programme based on inputting receipt papers and electronic data files of all receivables for reference and balancing of monthly financials of importing and exporting companies.
The Dong Nai Customs Department is also the first unit of the customs sector to collect customs fees and other charges through VIBank. So far, the department has upgraded its online payment system to shorten time and increase security for customs clearers and improved receipt management from banks to automate the transfer to the State Treasury. Thus, paperwork has been eliminated.
The website of the Dong Nai Customs Department has been added with foreign languages like Chinese and English and is regularly updated with the latest legal documents and policies on tax and customs. To date, more than 3.2 million visitors surfed the “Online customs procedure consulting” column and more than 7,500 answers were replied through this portal. This is a very effective cost-free consulting channel for individuals and companies in the country.
In parallel with applying automated monthly valuation and rating to working titles, the Dong Nai Customs Department has also implemented the programme “Evaluating the working capacity of civil servants” and the programme “Managing works at the customs offices to accelerate IT applications to internal management.” The Department plans to apply the programme “Registering tax-free imported goods online” to streamline customs procedures and save time for enterprises.
The Dong Nai Customs Department continues operating the “Automatic surveillance system” at Long Binh Tan Customs Office to supervise container goods and other transport means to and from ICD Bien Hoa in the most accurate manner, thus replacing manual works in imaging container codes and registration numbers of vehicles and sending the data to the data centre. The customs work is simpler.
The Dong Nai Customs Department checks in and out employees by fingerprint systems. As a result, work neglect, an ill-reputed habit of civil servants, is not found at the provincial customs system.
To implement new regulations of higher customs authorities, the department has collaborated with the Customs Officer Training Centre under the General Department of Customs to explain the Circular No. 79/2009/TT-BTC dated April 20, 2009 on customs procedures, customs regimes, examinations and supervisions, import-export tariffs to all companies in the province. At the same time, the Dong Nai Customs Department has cooperated with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the General Department of Customs to organise the seminar “E-customs in corporate environment” in July2009 to instruct process and installation of trial e-customs programme for more than 326 attending enterprises.
Especially, to facilitate local enterprises in industrial parks to clear customs procedures, reduce congestions at border gates and resolve traffic problems, the Dong Nai Customs Department reported to the General Department of Customs on operations of Long Binh - Tan Cang ICD, the largest customs clearance point in southern Vietnam, which started operating in August 6, 2009.
Could you talk about the building of the Dong Nai Customs Department and how it became a strong entity?
In recent years, Dong Nai has attracted many large-scale projects and enterprises. Therefore, the Dong Nai Customs Department was tasked to further reform to facilitate importers and exporters to clear customs procedures, prevent trafficking and trade frauds, protect domestic production, maintain political security, and other tasks. To fulfil the above tasks, the department is determined to become a strong clean entity to deserve its title of the “Labour Hero in the Renovation Process.”
Renovations in administrative, organising and managing processes are seen as the enormous efforts of the Dong Nai Customs Department in the past time in order to improve working efficiency of its customs officers. For many years, there have been positive improvements in working activities of all customs officers in the Dong Nai Customs Department. This betterment has been appreciated by local enterprises. This is a strong determination, effort and pride of all employees of the Dong Nai Customs Department.
What are the specific objectives of the Dong Nai Customs Department in the coming time?
In the past years, the Dong Nai Customs Department has strengthened its apparatus to meet the requirements in the new period. The department has striven to modernise its working system to facilitate importers and exporters. To obtain its targets, the department has focused on upgrading levels of its employees to fulfil all assigned tasks.
With the determinations of reforming and applying modern management methods, the Dong Nai Customs Department has proposed and prepared e-customs procedures in 2009, which have been approved by the General Department of Customs. This plays a very important role in renovating and simplifying customs procedures toward international standards.
Currently, the department has prepared infrastructures, fibre optic transmission lines and personnel for e-customs procedures in Bien Hoa Customs Office in September 2009, Long Binh Customs Office in late 2009 and other affiliated offices in 2010. Thus, all steps are electronically processed to save time and expenses for enterprises.
With the effort of the entire employees and managers, the Dong Nai Customs Department has spared no effort to complete its assigned tasks and modernise its system as stated in the programme for the 2008-2010 period with vision to 2020 so that it deserves its noble title of the “Labour Hero in the Renovation Process.”
Reported by Van Luong
Vietnamese
