Firms expect customs improvements

The Sai Gon Port Border Customs Sub-department Region I in HCM City (Source: VNA)

Hanoi, (VNA) – Businesses expect further improvements in customs clearance to promote management efficiency while creating convenience in cross border trade, a conference heard on November 3.

Held by the General Department of Customs, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and USAID's Governance for Inclusive Growth Programme, the conference aimed to review the Vietnam Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System (VNACCS/VCIS) after one and a half years in operation and listen to the opinions of firms to improve the system.

According to Dao Thi Thu Thuy from the General Department of Customs, a survey of more than 300 businesses revealed that 95 percent of them were satisfied and very satisfied with the automated customs clearance system.

A representative from Brother Industries Vietnam said that the system helped save time, human resource and money spent in customs declaration, estimated to save around 100 hours and more than 12,000 USD per month for his company.

Still, the system needed to be further improved as businesses found some inconveniences such as limited space for customs declaration, slow feedback and support.

Thuy said that the system currently operated only 50 percent of its functions and needed the co-ordination of relevant ministries and organisations to ensure that all procedures were conducted online.

Au Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Customs Control and Supervision Department, said the system would be improved to reduce time for customs clearance and tighten management of imports and exports. The system including e-customs declaration, e-invoicing and e-payment among others, was put into operation on April 1, 2014 and now all customs departments nationwide conducted customs procedures through the system.

E-customs and e-tax payment systems were among administrative reform efforts of Vietnam to improve its business climate.

Statistics from the Finance Ministry revealed that as of October 26, more than 90 percent of businesses registered to pay tax online and that 98 percent registered to conduct tax filings online.

In the latest report on the ease of doing business announced late last month, the World Bank ranked Vietnam 90th out of 189 countries, moving three grades up.-VNA