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| The workshop “The Role of women in trade facilitation” jointly organized by Customs Magazine and USAID on March 23, 2022. Photo: T.B |
Giving priority to institutional reform
Deputy Director of the Legal Department Dao Thinh Vinh said that the General Department of Customs has offered solutions for administrative reform, assessed the impact of administrative procedures in the development of legal documents, making an important contribution to ensuring the necessity, legitimacy and reasonability of regulations on administrative procedures; regularly publicized administrative procedures to ensure the right to access information about administrative procedures of individuals, organizations and enterprises; strengthened the control of administrative procedures in the whole sector.
In addition, the General Department of Customs has effectively built and operated a number of important information technology (IT) systems to serve the implementation of automatic customs procedures, inspection and supervision. This is the “leverage” creating favorable conditions for businesses to improve competitiveness, achieve growth, and restore production and business activities after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those efforts of the General Department of Customs marked in many fields, notably the improvement of the customs legal system. The General Department of Customs has actively accelerated the completion of mechanisms and policies, arranged human resources and time to develop circulars and decrees and guiding documents to remove obstacles for the business community, limit overlapping regulations between management agencies, and ensure feasibility, effectiveness and efficiency.
According to the Action Plan to implement Government’s Resolution 02/2022/NQ-CP, the General Department of Customs has six contents about the improvement of the legal system.
As of November 21, 2022, the General Department of Customs advised the Ministry of Finance to submit to the Government for promulgation Decision 628/QD-TTg dated May 20, 2022 on the approval of the Customs Strategy to 2030; finalized one draft Decree and submitted it to the Ministry of Finance. Other contents on the elaboration of legal documents stated in the programs and plans for the formulation of legal documents of the National Assembly, the Government and the Ministry of Finance have been implemented by Customs according to the set schedule.
A remarkable result is to improve the effectiveness of the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window. In 2022, the General Department of Customs will continue to develop an IT system to connect and process information with ministries, agencies and ASEAN countries, ensuring smooth, safe and secure operation of the National Single Window Portal.
As the standing agency of the National Steering Committee on ASEAN Single Window, National Single Window and Trade Facilitation, the General Department of Customs has advised the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with other ministries and agencies to connect new administrative procedures on the National Single Window.
As of November 21, 2022, 250 administrative procedures of 13 ministries and agencies have been officially processed on the National Single Window, with more than 55,000 enterprises.
Furthermore, the customs continued to study and complete the draft Master Plan on developing an IT system to serve the National Single Window and the ASEAN Single Window; develop and submit the Action Plan to implement the National Single Window, promote the logistics industry and facilitate trade in the 2022-2026 period.
Currently, the General Department of Customs has received opinions from all 15 ministries and agencies for the Action Plan and is aggregating all contents to report to the competent authorities.
In addition, the General Department of Customs has also presided over the development of a Decree on information sharing in the field of export, import, transit of goods, exit, entry, transit of people and means of transport under the National Single Window.
Also in 2022, as the unit in charge of monitoring the situation and assessing the results of reforms in specialized management and inspection for import and export goods, the General Department of Customs has actively coordinated with ministries and agencies to carry out instructions related to the reform of specialized inspection such as continuing to develop a draft Decree on the management mechanism, methods, order and procedures for quality and food safety inspection for imported goods; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries and agencies in, reviewing and reducing the list of import and export goods subject to specialized management and inspection.
Streamlining administrative procedures
In particular, the General Department of Customs has also actively reviewed and proposed to streamline administrative procedures in the customs area. Following Resolution 68/NQ-CP dated May 12, 2020 of the Government and the implementation plan of the Ministry, the General Department of Customs has reviewed and proposed to reduce six administrative procedures in the customs area including procedures for granting identification codes of customs broker staff; procedures for extending the identification codes of customs broker staff; procedures for re-granting the identification codes of customs broker staff; procedures for revoking the identification codes of customs broker staff; procedures for registration and recognition of customs supervision agents and procedures for certification of the fulfillment of tax obligations for imported and exported goods.
In addition, the General Department of Customs has maintained and operated stably, efficiently and professionally the unit of receiving and returning administrative procedures results under the National Single Window mechanism at the General Department of Customs.
The total number of applications received from January 1, 2022 to November 17, 2022 is more than 10,000. Most of the applications are processed and returned on time, which are appreciated by organizations/individuals.
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Currently, the General Department of Customs is preparing the necessary conditions to launch the Automated Single Window System of the Ministry of Finance at the General Department of Customs. Notably, in 2022, Customs issued the Customs Digital Transformation Plan for the 2021-2025 period in Decision 707/QD-TCHQ dated May 4, 2022.