After a year of implementing coordination for collection with State Treasury, this work has recorded positive results at joint stock commercial banks. Reporters of Customs News recorded some comments of Bui Anh Tuan, Head of Channel Management - Global Transaction Services Department - Techcombank, Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Deputy General Director of SeABank and Duong Thi Thu Thuy, Deputy General Director of VPBank around this issue.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Deputy General Director of SeABank

Bui Anh Tuan: Through bilateral cooperation, Techcombank expected the advantages of its extensive network and large customer scale to contribute to accelerating the roadmap for digitalising revenue collection and expenditure activities of the State Treasury. Besides that, this project was a great opportunity for Techcombank to apply its technological innovations to improve the capacity of taxes, fees and charges payment to increase convenience for individual customers and businesses at Techcombank, indirectly promoting a cashless financial economy.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh: The cooperation with the State Treasury has helped SeABank using resources effectively to improve the quality of payment services for customers, thereby, revenue was concentrated quickly and timely, significantly reducing costs and travel time of taxpayers, organisations and individuals, opening new utility payment channels, contributing to the diversification of public administrative payment services at all levels.

Duong Thi Thu Thuy: The agreement between the State Treasury and VPBank on coordinating to collect revenue and authorised collection has brought convenience and savings, helping VPBank's customers fulfill their tax settlement obligations quickly. In particular, customers were also entitled to free money transfers when making transactions with the State Treasury for VPBank accounts.

Up to now, how has the revenue collected through the cooperation for collection through the bank achieved?

Bui Anh Tuan, Head of Channel Management - Global Transaction
Services Department - Techcombank

Bui Anh Tuan: After four months of implementation, Techcombank has collected nearly VND 20 trillion. It is expected that it would grow strongly in the near future when Techcombank introduceed it widely to its existing customers.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh: After signing a cooperation agreement on coordination for revenue collection and electronic bilateral payments, coordination for revenue collection through SeABank has achieved many positive results with a continuously increasing collection rate. SeABank has implemented revenue collection at Bac Ninh State Treasury, Hai Phong State Treasury and Cau Giay State Treasury and in the second quarter of 2021, we will open more specialised collection accounts at the State Treasury in the whole country. At the same time, SeABank has also continuously upgraded payment channels with many utilities, diversifying payment services for public administrations at all levels.

Duong Thi Thu Thuy: From December 2020 to now, VPBank has opened accounts specialising in revenue collection for 31 treasury units at 30 branches/offices of VPBank in eight provinces/cities including: : Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Dong Nai. Sales through the bilateral system increased steadily month by month, topping VND 7,000 billion.

Through the implementation period, as the first joint-stock commercial banks to sign an agreement on coordination with the State Treasury, what difficulties has the bank faced and measures to overcome those difficulties? How did you get the get good results as mentioned above?

Duong Thi Thu Thuy, Deputy General Director of VPBank

Bui Anh Tuan: With a challenging target and deadline, Techcombank faced many difficulties in the implementation process. Tax collection and reconciliation is a relatively complex operation and needed to solve many different problems to ensure safety, accuracy and convenience for both customers and the State Treasury.

It was considered an important project not only for Techcombank but also bringing many benefits to the people in general, so the bank's leadership prioritised human, technological and financial resources. At the same time, we researched to learn from domestic and foreign markets to solve problems on schedule. Besides that, we also received enthusiastic cooperation from the project implementation divisions of the State Treasury, the General Department of Taxation and the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh: At SeABank, due to the specificity of the revenue collection operation, there were some difficulties in the initial period of operation. Recognising this problem, SeABank made efforts to conduct training from a very early stage, helping transaction departments understand tax and tax collection to advise customers.

With careful preparations, the process of revenue collection coordination so far has ensured efficiency, contributing to improving the quality of payment services for customers, from which revenue is gathering quickly and timely.

Through the implementation process, how does the bank evaluate the coordination between the two sides?

Bui Anh Tuan: Despite the pressure of the implementation deadline, thanks to the enthusiastic support and coordination of the State Treasury, the General Department of Taxation and the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Techcombank still managed to meet the milestones set by the deadline. This also reflected the high determination and focus of the units in the process of promoting the application of technological solutions to the process of State revenue collection and expenditure.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh: The implementation of cooperation between the two sides has contributed to creating conditions for customers to have more options and more favourable conditions to fulfill their obligations with the State budget; electronic transactions; ensure quick, convenient, accurate and safe State revenue collection; contributing to strengthening administrative procedure reform, modernising the management of State budget funds, applying science and technology to promote electronic payment services; expanding non-cash payments in the public sector, cutting social costs related to payment.

To improve the collection cooperation between the two agencies to be better, helping to collect quickly and fully for the state revenue, what recommendations do you suggest?

Bui Anh Tuan: Techcombank wished to continue to receive smooth and thorough coordination in the work of checking, tracing and settling complaints from all levels of the State Treasury (central to local) to ensure that the payment obligations to the state budget of customers are completed properly, sufficiently and quickly; while also protecting the interests of people and businesses.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh: SeABank recommended promoting communication and guiding for those who are directly paying the State budget at the headquarters of the State Treasury to switch to paying taxes at collection points of SeABank coordinated to collect revenue.

Duong Thi Thu Thuy: In 2021, VPBank wished the State Treasury would continue to support and create conditions for VPBank to better serve customers and the people. VPBank believed that with its extensive network of one Head Office and 233 branches in the whole country, VPBank was fully capable and experienced to deploy services throughout the State Treasury system nationwide.