Budget collection, trade facilitation and effective anti-smuggling are outstanding achievements stated at the online conference summarizing performance in 2020 and implementing tasks for 2021 of the General Department of Customs on December 24, 2020. Deputy Minister of Finance Vu Thi Mai attended the conference.

Deputy Minister Vu Thi Mai attended and directed the conference. Photo: T. Binh

Director General of General Department of Customs Nguyen Van Can chaired the conference.

In 2020, the regional and international situation faced complicated movements, strategic trade competition between some major economies were increasing (United States - China), posing opportunities and challenges for Vietnam.

In addition, Vietnam has participated in many new-generation free trade agreements (such as the EVFTA, RCEP) which pose higher requirements and require compliance with international commitments on tariffs, market openings and intellectual property, affecting our economy in general and import-export activities in particular.

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic together with its complicated, unpredictable developments and serious impacts on all countries in the world, pandemic control measures such as border closures, commercial flight suspension, isolation and blockades have had negative impacts on import and export activities and disrupted global supply chains, posing great challenges for Vietnam and other countries.

Under the close and timely direction of the Government and the Ministry of Finance with the viewpoint of resilience against difficulties, challenges and promoting creativity and striving to overcome difficulties, together with the goal of drastically implementing anti-pandemic measures, while actively supporting the opening of import and export activities, the General Department of Customs has directed its units to actively implement many measures to prevent and control the pandemic while ensuring customs management and facilitating businesses.

In which, focusing on: strengthening administrative reform, customs modernization, IT application in professional stages, enhancing the fight against smuggling and trade fraud, and strengthening discipline. Therefore, the General Department of Customs has achieved remarkable results.

Specifically, from the beginning of the year to December 15, the sector handled procedures for the volume of import and export goods totalling US$515.27 billion, up 4.5% (equivalent to an increase of more than US$22 billion) year-on-year. Of which, the total export value was US$267.22 billion, up 6.1%, and the total import value was US$248.04 billion, up 2.7%.

Regarding state budget revenue, despite facing many difficulties and challenges, with efforts to nurture revenues and measures to combat revenue loss, as of December 21, the Customs sector collected VND304,336 billion. Estimated revenue for the whole of 2020 will reach VND315,000 billion, equivalent to 93.2% of the estimate (VND315,000 of VND338,000 billion), equal to 105% (VND 315,000 of VND300,000 billion) of the figure reported at the 10th session of the 14th National Assembly.

The conference at the General Department of Customs. Photo: T. Binh

Along with the measures of trade facilitation, prevention and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the Customs sector continues to assert its role as the leading force in anti-smuggling.

From the beginning of the year to December 15, 2020, the whole sector took the lead, coordinated with other forces to handle 14,984 violation cases of the Customs law (down 13.49% year-on-year); with infringing goods valued at VND4,403,046 million (up 45.06% year-on-year). The amount remitted to the state budget was VND486,075 million(an increase of 1.04% year-on-year). The Customs agencies prosecuted 47 cases and transferred to other agencies to prosecute 144 cases.

In the field of anti-smuggling, Customs has presided over and coordinated with other forces to destroy many transnational drug crime lines.

In 2020, the Customs sector continued to promote the fight against violations of origin. In which, more than 100 enterprises with suspicious signs were inspected. Accordingly, 43 cases of origin violation for export goods were detected and one case with signs of fake origin certificate was investigated in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security.

The Customs agency confiscated 3,590 CBU bikes, more than 4,000 sets of components and more than 12,000 sets of accessories to assemble kitchen cabinets as evidence of violation, collecting more than VND77 billion to the budget.