VCN – The General Department of Vietnam Customs and the USA-funded Trade Facilitation Project jointly held a workshop on consulting experience on management and development orientation of customs brokers.
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| The workshop. Photo: Hong Cuong |
The workshop was attended by representatives of the Customs Control and Supervision Department (under the General Department of Vietnam Customs), USAID experts, and over 30 customs brokers in HCM City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong.
At the workshop, the General Department of Vietnam Customs introduced customs brokers’ draft capacity assessment criteria.
The customs broker is in charge of helping import and export enterprises quickly carry out customs procedures and avoid errors and violations because the customs broker has professional staff who have in-depth knowledge of the legal system, implement procedures professionally and use modern devices, leading to accurate and quick customs clearance that saves costs.
The development of customs brokers helps enterprises reduce costs by streamlining the apparatus, saves investment costs in terms of personnel and modern devices for carrying out customs procedures, and increases competitiveness in the market.
On the other hand, for the Customs agency, the customs broker’s staff has in-depth knowledge and practical experience, so they carry out customs procedures accurately.
Accordingly, Customs officers do not spend much time and effort to check the accuracy of customs declarations, saving time and human resources and avoiding congestion at the customs checkpoint.
At the workshop, the participants discussed contents to improve customs brokers’ capacity. Contents include completing legal policies on customs brokers, facilitating import and export activities, supporting customs brokers in enhancing capacity and quality during the customs process, implementing cooperation in the development of customs brokers, and improving the management efficiency of customs brokers.
The Customs development strategy by 2030 sets the goal of building and developing a more professional, unified, modern, comprehensive and diversified customs broker, applying the recognition of priority regime for the customs broker.
In addition, step-by-step automation of customs declaration management by customs brokers and the staff through the control of implementing customs procedures.
The strategy’s goals are also included in the plan for customs modernization and reform by 2025.
Accordingly, developing a circular amending and supplementing Circular 22/2019/TT-BTC dated April 16, 2019, Circular 12/2015/TT-BTC dated January 30, 2015, of the Ministry of Finance detailing the procedures for issuance of a certificate of training in customs declaration; issuance and revocation of customs broker number; procedures for recognition and operation of customs brokers; standardizing the database for management of customs brokers.
According to the WCO Customs brokers guideline (June 2018), to effectively manage the operations and compliance of customs brokers, the WCO provides good practices related to the management of customs brokers as well as some suggestions for a scoring system in measuring the compliance of customs brokers.
Accordingly, Customs can measure the performance/compliance of customs brokers under a set of criteria related to the operation of customs brokers.
The addition of points for compliance acts, deduction of points for violations, warnings for deductions at a certain level, etc., helps the Customs monitor the activities of customs brokers and help customs brokers be fully aware of their compliance and have a sense of improving operational efficiency and compliance with the law when providing customs services.
By Quang Hung/Ngoc Loan