Business society expects stronger tax, customs administrative reform

Hanoi (VNA) -The business community hopes for stronger determination from tax and customs sectors in administrative reform, said Vo Tan Thanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

Many enterprises agree that despite the sectors’ recent efforts, tax and customs in administrative reform progress has yet to meet expectations or the country’s socio-economic development, Thanh said during a dialogue between the Ministry of Finance and the business community in Ho Chi Minh City on November 5.

According to a recent VCCI report on the tax sector’s operations, 49 percent of 2,500 surveyed enterprises in 63 localities nationwide complained that they find administrative procedures troublesome.

Besides, 92 percent of the firms said they saw positive changes in tax laws in the past five years, especially in value-added tax and corporate income regulations.

The sharpest cuts in the duration of administrative procedures were seen in land use, natural resources and special consumption taxes, the report said.

Meanwhile, most of the questioned businesses recognised impressive outcomes in customs renovation. However, they also pointed to a lack of synchrony between old and new procedures, which poses difficulties to businesses during implementation, Thanh said.

He said enterprises in the southern region wanted the tax and custom sectors to simplify administrative procedures and expand information channels while shortening duration and becoming more transparent.

At the same time, Deputy Minister of Finance Do Hoang Anh Tuan said stagnation during the implementation of laws in some tax and customs departments was among the main reasons some policies were inefficient.

The Government’s Resolution 19 on tasks and solutions to improve the business environment and national competitiveness in 2015 and 2016 has enabled the tax and customs sectors to make positive changes, he said, but the sectors should make more efforts in the field.

Currently, e-taxation systems have been applied in 36 localities, benefiting 506,000 enterprises. As of November this year, total businesses registering for e-tax payment reached 457,504, or 90 percent of operating firms.-VNA