Lang Son Customs Department with Convenient, Dutiful and Exact Philosophy

According to Mr Vu Van Diep Nghia, chief of the Lang Son Province Department of Customs, since the amended Customs Law took effect from January 01, 2006, the Department of Customs of Lang Son Province has instructed its border gate branches to focus on high-risk commodities, instead of widespread checks as before, and arranged able and skilled officials to important positions to save human resources.  

The department is also concentrating on special concerns regarding the administrative procedure simplification to create favourable conditions for enterprises to import and export commodities via the province and gradually shorten document-processing duration. Particularly, the ratio of export declaration forms free from actual checking is equal to 95.8 per cent of the total while the ratio of import declaration forms free from actual checking equals 83.2 per cent of the total import declaration forms. Notably, the customs clearance time has also been shortened to 10-15 minutes, reducing cargo storage pressure and costs at border gates. 

 

In the first five months of 2006, the Lang Son Department of Customs cleared customs for 78,060 import-export batches via the Huu Nghi Border Gate and Dong Dang International Railway Station, a 26.1 per cent increase compared with 2005. A total of 15,884 import-export declaration forms have been cleared with a total turnover of US$205.4 million, up 30.7 per cent against the same period of 2005. The import-export tax loss checking activities have been successfully carried out. The export duties on fruits have reduced to 10 per cent from 15 per cent while the VAT was slashed to 6 per cent. In the first five months, the Lang Son Department of Taxation paid VND244.7 billion (US$15.3 million) to the State Treasury, fulfilling 39.1 per cent of the assigned tasks.

 

Smuggling and trade fraud prevention works have been strictly implemented by the Lang Son Department of Customs. The province has a lot of complicated smuggling areas like Hang Doi (Doi Cave), Kho Da (Da Warehouse), 05 Trail and 06 Trail where illegal cattle and poultry transportation is frequent. To cope with this situation, the department has built the working plan, focused on patrolling activities and controls in importing-exporting areas. The department has also increased cooperation with anti-smuggling forces to detect smugglers to remove potential smuggling dens. Consequently, in the first six months of 2006, the Lang Son Department of Customs uncovered 207 smuggling, trade fraud and customs law violation cases, fining VND4.691 billion.

 

With equipment provided by the Vietnam General Department of Taxation, the Lang Son Department of Taxation has sped up the information technology applications to import-export activities: management system, coercion information and customs law violation information. The department also has modern equipment and means including luggage scales, electronic scales, host machine system and workstation systems to serve controlling and checking activities at border gates.

 

As a result the activities of the department have become more scientific and effective. The department also often organises training courses on professions and ideology for its staff to make full preparations for the accession of Vietnam to the WTO, contributing to the acceleration of Lang Son’s stable socio-economic development.