Facilitating customs to "locomotive" economic development

This is the request made by Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc during a working session at the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department on June 14.

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc during a working session at the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department

Reporting to the Minister and the working delegation of the Ministry of Finance, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Hoang Tuan said that the total import-export value of the whole country in the first 5 months of the year reached 305.53 billion USD, an increase of 16.6% (equivalent to an increase of 44.56 billion USD) compared to the same period in 2023. Regarding the trade balance in the first 5 months of 2024, the whole country had a trade surplus of about 8 billion USD.

Of which, the total import-export turnover of Ho Chi Minh City accumulated from the beginning of the year to May 28, 2024 reached 46.84 billion USD (accounting for 15.33% of the total import-export turnover of the whole country), an increase of 3.37% over the same period in 2023 (an increase of 1.52 billion USD). The total taxable import-export turnover from the beginning of the year to May 28, 2024 reached 14.84 billion USD, an increase of 5.27% over the same period in 2023 (an increase of 0.74 billion USD).

Accordingly, the state budget revenue of the General Department of Customs in the first 5 months of the year reached VND 165,696 billion, reaching 44.2% of the assigned estimate (VND 375,000 billion), up 7.4% over the same period last year. The cumulative state budget revenue from the beginning of the year to June 11, 2024 of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department reached VND 53,130.1 billion, equal to 40.62% of the assigned estimate of the Ordinance (VND 130,800 billion) and decreased by 6.69% (equivalent to an absolute decrease of VND 3,812.0 billion) compared to the same period in 2023 (reaching VND 56,942.0 billion).

In addition, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Tuan added that the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department accounts for about 1/3 of the total revenue of the entire Customs sector. Most of the units with large revenue have accumulated state budget revenue in the first 5 months of 2024 increased compared to the same period in 2023 such as: Ba Ria - Vung Tau increased by 34.22%; Thanh Hoa increased by 24.78%; Quang Ninh increased by 26.51%. However, revenue from the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department decreased.

“Although the locality has the deepest decline in the country, the rate of decline in state budget revenue of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has improved compared to the same period last month (from -11.84% to -5.51%), showing the efforts of all cadres, civil servants and employees in the whole unit to organize and drastically implement solutions to facilitate trade, improve the effectiveness of state management, and prevent revenue loss in implementing the state budget collection task in 2024”, said Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan.

Assessing the reasons for the decrease in revenue, Director Nguyen Hoang Tuan said that, regarding the structure of the state budget revenue of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, the three items of automobiles, petroleum, and iron and steel alone account for a large proportion of nearly 35% of the total state budget revenue. Therefore, the fluctuation of these revenue sources will greatly affect the state budget revenue of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department.

In addition, there is the impact of the 2% reduction in VAT rates. In 2024, free trade agreements (FTAs) will continue to be in a deep reduction phase, some FTAs ​​will continue to have a sharp reduction in the simple average tax rate: EVFTA/UKVFTA from 4.7% to 3.5%, CPTPP from 2.1% to 1.7%. The incomplete logistics infrastructure affects the process of preserving and circulating goods and increases transportation costs for businesses, which is also one of the reasons for the decrease in revenue.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Ho Duc Phoc highly appreciated and acknowledged the achievements of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department. “You have maintained the tradition and solidarity of the industry. Despite major changes in personnel due to regulations on personnel organization, with your role and responsibility, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has still completed its tasks well. I hope you will continue to unite, maintain high responsibility, and overcome difficulties to complete your tasks,” said the Minister.

Commenting on the Department's professional activities, the Minister said that Ho Chi Minh City is a major growth engine of the country, in which the customs agency contributes greatly to the city's state budget revenue. Therefore, the Minister hopes that the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department will continue to advise the City, contributing to helping Ho Chi Minh City continue to take off, maintain its role as an economic locomotive, and contribute to the overall growth of the country.

The Minister noted that management at airport gates should avoid tax losses while still creating conditions for businesses to develop. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to tax refunds to ensure the rights of businesses, but it is also necessary to comply with tax laws to avoid exploitation and losses. To do this, the Minister said that there needs to be coordination between the Tax Department and the City Customs Department in determining businesses' tax refund records.

Regarding the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and banned goods, the Minister praised the anti-drug efforts of the customs forces nationwide, especially at the Hanoi Customs Department and the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in recent times. According to the Minister, the Department needs to continue to fight fiercely to ensure security and order in the country, avoiding Vietnam becoming a transit area for these goods.

To prevent smuggling, which seriously affects the health of the economy and domestic production enterprises, it is necessary to take drastic measures to create fairness and transparency in production and business activities.

Particularly in the fight against gold smuggling, the Minister said that it is necessary to fight fiercely not only by air but also by sea and border, "only by doing so can we maintain economic stability and maintain exchange rates", the Minister said.

The Minister also requested the Customs Department to continue to focus on recruiting and training high-quality human resources to create officers with strong political will, courage, and good professional skills to complete their tasks. In addition, it is necessary to apply information technology and high technology in professional activities to meet management requirements in the new period.

Regarding coordination with relevant departments and branches, the Minister requested the General Department of Customs to review the problems and propose solutions for any recommendations that have not been resolved to promptly report to competent authorities for implementation.

Source: https://thoibaonganhang.vn/tao-thuan-loi-ve-hai-quan-de-dau-tau-kinh-te-phat-trien-152612.html