Many obstacles on online public services removed

VCN – Recently, the General Department of Customs has proactively applied information and technology in administrative reform and boosted the online public services at level 3, 4. However, there are obstacles to be removed.

At the Northern business dialogue on Customs administrative procedures and tax policies 2017 that took place in Hanoi, Deputy Director General of Customs Vu Ngoc Anh, said that from 1st March 2017, the General Department of Customs has officially operated the online public service system on the Customs Information Portal. The system has provided online public service at level 3, 4 with 46 administrative procedures at the municipal and provincial Customs Departments.

He also noted that as of November 2017, the General Department of Customs has provided online public services at level 3 with 126 out of 178 administrative procedures (reaching 70% of the procedures), of which 123 administrative procedures have been provided with the online public services at level 4. The online public service system has received 33,600 administrative dossiers with attendance of 6,800 applicants. In which, the General Department of Customs has provided information on e-Customs declarations to carry out Customs procedures at relevant authorities. As of 15th October 2017, there are more than 45,000 visits from 26 agencies such as, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and 24 commercial banks.

However, before the dialogue, through the VCCI, many enterprises set their questions and expected to receive the answers from the Customs related to the procedures of online public services as well as the receiving process of the Customs.

Viet Nam Precision Industrial 1 Co., Ltd (located at CN11, KhaiQuang Industrial Zone, Vinh Yen City, VinhPhuc Province) said that the company declared the public service and the Customs only stopped at the receiving stage. The company still had to print the paper declaration form and send it to Customs officers. The processing time for the public service took within 1 to 2 days. Therefore, the company proposed that the Customs should have clear procedures for the declaration of public services.

Regarding this issue, representative of Legal Department of Vietnam Customs answered that currently, the General Department of Customs was developing regulations on management and operation and use of the online public service system. After issuing and applying the regulations, the General Department will issue specific guiding documents to applicants and enterprises to ensure the efficiency of the online public services.

The channel classification and approval of additional tax declaration on the online public service system are streamlined and flexible in accordance with the actual classification process at each Customs unit where the enterprise submits the additional dossiers. Please contact directly with the Customs Information Portal, Customs IT and Statistics Department, 5th Floor, Room 5.11, Lot E3 Duong DinhNghe Street, Tel: (+8424) 39440833 (ext: 8613) ), Email: [email protected], for further instructions and information.

Some companies also asked whether companies receive the results electronically when using online public services on the Customs Information Portal or not?

According to the General Department of Customs, from 1st March 2017, the Customs expanded the online public service on the Customs Information Portal, with the objective to the end of 2017, that all Customs administrative procedures are provided with online public service to at least level 3 . Thus, with the existing systems, the Customs is ready to return results to the enterprise in electronic form. However, many enterprises are not ready to receive the results in only electronic form, because they have to use the Customs results to carry out the next procedures at other state agencies where the electronic documents are not accepted.

Others also asked whether a company has to submit paper documents when using online public services or not?

The General Department of Customs said that the online public service system allows the applicants to submit electronic documents on the system to solve administrative procedures. The documents submitted to the system are used by the Customs as a basis for checking, comparing and returning the results to the applicants.

However, some administrative procedures still require the original documents for Customs to check or seal, and then return to the enterprise. For these cases, the Customs receives the electronic application, processes and prepares the results. The applicants are required to present the original document before receiving the results to the Customs officers in compliance with the guideline of the Ministry of Finance at Dispatch 17663/BTC-TCHQ dated 13th December 2016.

BinhDinh Footwear JSC (located at 40 ThapDoi, QuyNhon City, BinhDinh Province) expected that relevant agencies should update the changes related to Customs procedures and tax policies via email or telephone for enterprises to know and implement.

In this regard, according to the General Department of Customs, the policies on import-export duties are prescribed in the Law on Import-Export Duties and Decree No. 134/2016/ND-CP dated 1st September 2016by the Government. Accordingly, any changes related to Customs procedures and tax policies will be updated on the Customs Information Portal. Regarding the development of legal documents on Customs procedures, the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Customs have sent a document to the business community and other relevant agencies for comments. Therefore, the General Department of Customs requests enterprises to actively exploit the regulations on Customs procedures, update information on tax policies for imports and exports at the websites of the Ministry of Finance (www.mof.gov.vn) and the General Department of Customs (www.customs.gov.vn).

Source: customsnews.vn