Deputy Phan Van Quy in an interview

Deputy Phan Van Quy: Customs Officers need to be equipped with necessary equipment for anti-smuggling activities

Draft of Customs Act (amendment) is significantly increased the power of Customs toward allowing Customs Officers are allowed to apprehend smugglers attempting to escape the physical jurisdiction of customs authorities. What is your opinion about this plan?

I see this provision is necessary because it will help Customs Officers to promptly stop smuggling cases, illegal transportation of goods across the border, contribute to improve the effectiveness of prevention, anti-smuggling in new situation.

However, Customs Act needs to clearly define the levels  of chasing by Customs officers to avoid overlapping with other forces involved. In addition, training activities and professional skills, equipment and support facilities also needed to be done to ensure Customs Officers to pursue this right.

In the last of National Assembly session, number of Deputies comments that the plan needs more clarification on sea patrol and anti-smuggling act by Customs force. What is your opinion?

The current situation in East Sea is very complicated, thus, the provision for Customs forces to carry out sea patrol is needed. However, because there are number of forces to perform tasks on the sea as Marine Police, Border Guard etc. so need to clearly define the role and power of Customs forces for sea patrol and anti-smuggling with other functional forces to ensure the coordination of work between forces involved are synchronized and efficient, creating synergy, contribute to the overall tasks of protecting the interests and sovereignty country.

Draft of Customs Acts regulation: The post-customs clearance inspection will be conducted at the Customs offices and at the customs declaration office for a period of 5 years from the registration date of the customs declaration. Could you share your comment about this regulation?

In my opinion, applying of this regulation will encounter many problems, because: In a period of 5 years from the registration date of the customs declaration, all taxes paid, accounting calculation of the company, auditing of company’s financial statements were completed in the year and cannot be altered.

Moreover, during this period, the company itself may have changed their business information such as rename, change form of ownership, change their head office address, change in personnel in charge of custom process etc. This will make it very difficult for both companies and inspection agency. Not to mention company might be dissolved or bankruptcy during this period, then the post-customs clearance inspection by Customs authorities is very difficult.

Therefore, I would suggest that we should shorten the period for post-customs clearance inspections into 3 years from the registration date of the customs declaration will be more reasonable.

Vietnam Customs has just completed and “go-live coverage” using automated custom clearance system VNACCS/VCIS at all Custom Departments. How do you assess the efforts of Customs to reform and modernize in order to create the most favorable condition for enterprises in the recent  times?

If you compare the current applying custom procedures to the prior procedures then it’s clearly show that Customs of Vietnam have showed their effort and had made certain progress in changing the implementation of customs procedures from traditional procedures into half-electronic procedures.

By applying automated customs clearance system and “one-door” process will be important step forward and contribute to change the fundamental of the implementation of customs procedures from traditional, half-electronic into completed electronic.

This is essential because: It’s consistent with the current trend (today, many administrative procedures have been carried out using “one-door” mechanism through an automation network of information. For example, tax registration procedures, business registrations, registration for secured transactions etc.). At the same time, this also ensure the professionalism, focus in customs procedures, create the convenient environment for both enterprises and Customs authorities; facilitate import and export operations to perform quickly and efficiently; Meet the integration requirements and international commitments; and contribute to attracting foreign investment, promoting economic growth.

However,  for automated customs clearance system and national “one-door” to uniformly applied, Customs must perform well on related work such as upgrade equipment for professional service of customs officers; training, promoting, distributing broadly the adoption for customs officials and enterprises.

                                                                                                                              According to Customs news