Customs officials were urged to further complete institutions and policies on the customs sector during a teleconference with leaders of the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai attended and spoke at the online conference.
Photo: Q.H

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc directed the teleconference to review performance in the first half and deploy tasks in the second half of 2021 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs. The GDVC’s Director General Nguyen Van Can chaired the conference.

The conference was also attended by Deputy Minister Vu Thi Mai, and the Ministry of Finance’s representatives, Deputy Director General and the leaders of local customs departments.

Director General Department of GDVC chaired the conference. Photo: Q.H

Continue to improve customs institutions and policies

At the conference, the minister asked all customs officials to build “a clean, strong, professional, modern, transparent, qualified and efficient customs sector”.

Minister Ho Duc Phoc recognised and highly appreciated positive results in performance of the Customs sector in the first half of the year, and suggested goals, tasks and solutions in the second half of 2021 for the sector to complete the tasks for the whole year, contributing to the achievements of the finance sector.

Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai directed the Customs sector to implement key tasks in the second half of the year.

“The GDVC should effectively implement new legal customs documents, especially decree on quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods,” the Deputy Minister of Finance said.

In the second half of the year, the GDVC has to complete the improvement of institutions and policies. This is a tough task because it must submit four draft decrees and the Customs Development Strategy by 2030. Therefore, the sector should make use of resources to perform effectively.

The Deputy Minister also requested the GDVC provide solutions for revenue collection and to cut revenue loss.

At the conference, the Deputy Minister of Finance answered proposals of the GDVC and requested the ministry’s departments handle these proposals.

Reform and improve management effectiveness and efficiency

Director General Nguyen Van Can directed the customs sector to provide solutions and action plans to follow directions of the minister and deputy minister.

He also asked units to focus on discussing and offering solutions to implement tasks such as developing and advising to legal documents in customs area, performing well revenue collection, enhancing efficiency of anti-smuggling work, and building capacity.

The Director General asked the whole sector to assess impacts related administrative reform, and building legal system in line with the Government’s directions.

The development of legal documents must be consistent with the policy and meet requirements of reform and modernisation and building smart customs in the coming period.

Units must ask all officials the model of digital customs and redesign of the IT system.

In addition, the sector needs to effectively prevent smuggling, implement solutions to facilitate trade and prevent revenue loss; strengthen capacity building, ideological education and moral training for officials.

Leaders of the customs departments of HCM City, Quang Tri, Lang Son and Hai Phong discussed many specific and practical solutions.

Focusing on Covid-19 prevention and control work while ensuring trade facilitation and goods clearance, promoting anti-smuggling; performing revenue collection; implementing decree on quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods; coordinating with the GDVC’s departments in performing digital customs model and the project on the redesign of the IT system were also discussed.