Improve the business environment to create fairness for businesses

09/23/2024 06:44

It is necessary to create an equal business environment for enterprises. (Illustration photo: VnEconomy)

(PLVN) - According to the assessment of many businesses and economic experts, the business environment has improved recently, however, in reality, it can be improved even better if truly desired for the benefit of businesses as well as society...

Regulators need to be more supportive

Mr. Hoang Dinh Kien - General Director of Hoa Phat Logistics Joint Stock Company (TVHP) said that from the perspective of a logistics unit, TVHP realized that the business environment has improved a lot in recent years and is one of many units that directly benefited from the policy for private enterprises, from which it has boldly invested in local warehouses, serving industrial parks and foreign-invested enterprises. At the same time, it invested in expanding its fleet, now nearly 400 vehicles, increasing asset investment by about 15 times and revenue also growing accordingly.

However, in reality, many businesses still face difficulties, even “stuck” when working with government agencies. For example, a TVHP client invested in a project in a province, the investment capital increased from 3 million USD to 8 million USD, but it took nearly 3 months to complete the procedures while according to regulations it only takes 15 days.

“We are following the law, but the support from state management agencies is still not as expected. Therefore, we expect the management agencies to have a more supportive mindset for businesses. We do not ask for anything beyond the limit, just detailed and enthusiastic guidance so that businesses can implement immediately. If necessary, organize meetings and resolve issues promptly,” said Mr. Kien.

Lawyer Le Anh Van - Member of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises also said that state agencies need to accelerate the reform of overlapping legal regulations, while providing stronger support to businesses in the digital transformation process. Along with that, business representative organizations need to be empowered and play a greater role in receiving and implementing public services that the State can transfer.

“This will help reduce the burden on the government apparatus and at the same time better support businesses in their operations. If these solutions are implemented, the business environment will become more favorable, helping businesses overcome difficulties and develop sustainably,” affirmed Lawyer Le Anh Van.

Mr. Van also said that businesses have difficulty choosing between “legality and rationality”. Because amending laws and decrees can be lengthy and costly, increasing costs and affecting investment opportunities. In many cases, businesses are forced to prioritize rationality to solve short-term problems, but this is not entirely consistent with the current legal framework.

Institutional reform is the decisive factor in creating breakthroughs.

Economist Vo Tri Thanh said that institutional reform is the decisive factor in creating breakthroughs. Institutional reform is not only about perfecting current regulations but also about building new, suitable regulations. There are many aspects to analyze about institutions, but Mr. Thanh mentioned three aspects, including "rules of the game", "players" and "way of playing".

In particular, the "rules of the game", that is, legal regulations, need to be improved and innovated to meet reality. "Players" and "ways of playing", that is, implementation methods and the realization of reasonable values, need to be improved to bring benefits to businesses and the country. Therefore, there needs to be a testing environment for civil servants, helping them work effectively without being constrained by personal interests and complicated administrative processes.

Mr. Phan Duc Hieu - Standing Member of the Economic Committee of the National Assembly said that there are several points that need to be improved. The first thing to mention is equal competition for businesses. Because there is currently a phenomenon where the same procedure is slower in one place than another, which has created unfairness among businesses. Or the same import procedure, but at this port the goods are released faster, at another port it is slower, then there will be businesses that may suffer losses when the goods are shipped out for sale first, which will have an advantage over later shipments.

Notably, Mr. Hieu said that, during the implementation process, the state agency may not be wrong about the law; Specifically, the regulation can be issued within 5 - 10 days, but for businesses, issuing 1 - 3 days early can be a business opportunity and vice versa, issuing 1 - 3 days late can be a loss.

“Obviously, this story can be improved. I see that there are many things that can be improved if we do our best, always for the benefit of businesses. From the perspective of businesses, we really hope that policy implementation must be better, not just simply in accordance with the law. In international experience, there is a saying "going beyond compliance" - that is, the law has regulations like this but people always want the subjects to implement better even when the law does not require it" - Mr. Hieu commented.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/cai-thien-moi-truong-kinh-doanh-tao-su-cong-bang-cho-doanh-nghiep-post526305.html