The northern province of Bac Giang is looking to raise its provincial competitiveness index (PCI) after ranking 41 st out of 63 provinces and cities in 2014 with 57.33 points.

Director of the local Department of Planning and Investment Trinh Huu Thang suggested the province clarify administrative procedures for investors and increase the responsibility of heads of offices to prevent corruption and gain investor confidence in order to increase the 2015 index and in years after.

The province will continue improving steering board operations in investment support and business development to ensure the board can swiftly assist enterprises.

Planning and budget documents along with legal documents will be regularly posted on provincial, city and district websites to provide easier access to information for investors, he said.

The provincial Department of Taxation was requested to uncover reasons behind the extensive time required to complete enterprise tax procedures to design relevant policies.

The PCI report considers a range of criteria, including land access for businesses, land use stability, transparency, an equal and competitive environment and legal support for firms.

Since 2005, the PCI survey has drawn the participation of nearly 80,600 private owned enterprises and 7,800 foreign enterprises.-VNA