Nghe An Tax Department: Administrative reforms to provide better service.

(Baonghean) - Thanks to its pioneering role in reforming tax administrative procedures, the Nghe An Tax Department has 22 out of 22 units implementing a one-stop mechanism for receiving and returning results to taxpayers and applying information technology to modernize tax management... This result has brought efficiency to the tax sector's operations in serving the people and businesses, meeting the trend of integration and development of the country.

As an automobile business, Truong Hai Nghe An Co., Ltd. achieves high revenue, and the application of electronic tax declaration and payment has facilitated its business operations. Mr. Thai Duy Oanh, Deputy Director of Truong Hai Nghe An Co., Ltd., stated: “Seeing the clear effectiveness of implementing electronic tax declaration and payment, since commencing operations in Vinh City (in 2012), the company has applied online tax declaration and payment. In 2015, the company paid 10 billion VND in taxes to the State, and this year, 2016, it is expected to pay 15 billion VND.”

Businesses are heavily involved with the tax sector, and thanks to administrative procedure reforms, they save a lot of time in tax declaration and payment, and all tax-related documents and paperwork are processed promptly.” Mr. Vu Anh Tuan, Director of Tuan Hoai Trading Co., Ltd. (Vinh City), added: “When our company registered with the Vinh City Tax Department to apply for electronic tax declaration and payment, we were invited to attend training sessions, and the Tax Department sent officials to our company to directly guide us on online tax declaration and payment, making the process very convenient.”

Businesses register, declare, and pay vehicle registration tax at the Vinh City Tax Department.

In Vinh City, there are currently nearly 4,500 businesses under the tax management of the Vinh City Tax Department. Previously, before the implementation of electronic tax payment, tax offices were always overloaded on designated tax payment days due to the large number of business households and enterprises coming in person to pay taxes. However, since the application of online tax declaration (in 2013) and online tax payment (in 2014), taxpayers have found it more convenient to declare and pay taxes.

Mr. Vo Duy Duc, Deputy Head of the Vinh City Tax Department, stated: “In the past period, the Tax Department has seriously implemented Government Resolution 19/ND-CP dated March 12, 2015, on reducing administrative procedures and creating favorable conditions for taxpayers in implementing tax policies. Every year, we develop a plan for reforming tax administrative procedures. We maintain good reception and delivery of results to taxpayers through the one-stop and integrated one-stop transaction departments. We effectively apply information technology to facilitate administrative procedures for citizens and organizations. We continue to promote, guide, and encourage businesses to submit tax declarations online and pay taxes on time. With many innovations in administrative procedure reform, creating favorable conditions for taxpayers, in the first nine months of 2016, the Vinh City Tax Department achieved a total state budget revenue of nearly 1,500 billion VND, an increase of 28% compared to the same period last year.”

Over the past period, the Cua Lo Town Tax Department has been one of the units that has effectively implemented administrative procedure reforms. The department was the first to develop and issue regulations stipulating the procedures and timeframes for resolving administrative procedures under the "one-stop shop" mechanism. Since 2007, the department has been directed by the Nghe An Provincial Tax Department to be the first pilot unit to implement the "Quality Management System according to the International Standard ISO 9001:2000" across 12 professional fields. In addition, to facilitate and save time and costs for taxpayers, the department has actively and effectively implemented tax collection through commercial banks and deployed electronic tax declaration and payment services. To date, 100% of businesses (323 businesses) operating in the area declare taxes online, and 99% of businesses (321 businesses) make electronic tax payments.

Thanks to a focused effort on reforming tax administrative procedures, all 22 units of the Nghe An Tax Department now implement a one-stop service mechanism for receiving and returning results to taxpayers, and have deployed the "Quality Management System according to the International Standard ISO 9001:2008", while also applying information technology to modernize tax management.

The Nghe An Tax Department was the first unit (in 2005) to develop and issue regulations stipulating the procedures and timeframes for handling administrative procedures under the "one-stop shop" mechanism. From 2011 to the present, the Tax Department has uniformly implemented all forms and documents related to administrative procedures throughout the entire sector, as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Taxation.

Implementing and guiding businesses to submit tax declarations online and pay taxes electronically has reduced processing time, saved costs, and ensured data security during transactions. Therefore, currently 100% of businesses (under the tax inspection departments and tax collection management sub-departments) are filing tax declarations electronically, and the percentage of businesses registered for electronic tax payment at the tax office compared to the total number of active businesses in Nghe An Province is nearly 99%; the percentage of businesses registered for electronic tax payment at commercial banks compared to the total number of active businesses is 98.65%...

Thanks to its efficient production and business investment, the Hoa Sen Steel Sheet Factory in Nam Cam Industrial Park contributes significantly to the state budget.

Annually, the Tax Department conducts statistical reviews of administrative procedures, and through this process, has recommended the abolition of some unnecessary procedures and proposed shortening the processing time and procedures. For example, it has recommended that the General Department of Taxation and the Ministry of Finance cut and simplify 10 administrative procedures; recommended reducing the processing time for one procedure from 5 working days to 3 days; and publicly disclosed and posted the complete set of tax administrative procedures, including 183 tax administrative procedures at the Tax Department level and 135 tax administrative procedures at the Tax Sub-department level.

The tax sector also ensures the public disclosure and transparency of administrative regulations and promptly handles feedback and suggestions from individuals and organizations regarding administrative procedures. It proposes to competent authorities the amendment of administrative procedures that are no longer appropriate, causing difficulties and obstacles to the production and business activities of enterprises and the lives of the people…

Hoang Vinh