Private enterprises and 'unimaginable' numbers
It takes 23 days to start a business, 540 hours to pay taxes, and there are up to 5,000 business conditions... these are unimaginable numbers for many countries.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh, Secretary of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Party Committee, talked with Korean enterprises at the workshop - Photo: DONG HA
A businessman imported a shipment of seafood but could only keep it in the warehouse without being able to put it into production because he had to wait for customs clearance. Even if he bought a vehicle to transport the company's frozen goods, he had to apply for a transportation business license.
That is one of the shortcomings and limitations in the current private economic development, according to the statement of Mr. Phan Duc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) at the workshop on Private Economic Development held in Ba Ria - Vung Tau on the morning of June 1.
Not only that, Mr. Hieu said that it takes 23 days for a private enterprise to complete procedures to start a business, 540 hours to pay taxes, and there are up to 5,000 business conditions...
"These are unimaginable numbers for many countries... With 5,000 business conditions, it is very difficult for businesses to comply and this creates risks for businesses," said Mr. Hieu.
At the local level, Mr. Hieu cited the story of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, Le Minh Hoan, drinking coffee with businesses to listen and understand them as a good way. The responsibility and commitment of the provincial leader, the Chairman of the People's Committee, is very important.
"Provincial leaders must think like businesses to promote private economic development. The government must also think like businesses when performing state management functions," Mr. Hieu shared.
Ms. Pham Chi Lan speaks at the workshop - Photo: DONG HA.
Economist Pham Chi Lan said that countries like South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong "became dragons" thanks to the private economy, while Vietnam, after 30 years of reform, recognized it as an "important driving force".
Vietnam is currently moving to a new stage of economic development, but the economy is facing many challenges in terms of competitiveness, low labor productivity and entrepreneurial spirit, low management level, weak ability to participate in the global value chain, etc.
"Now is not the era of "big fish eating small fish" but "fast fish eating slow fish", Ms. Pham Chi Lan commented.
According to Ms. Lan, to develop the private economy today, it is necessary to rely on "unique values", high-level skills as well as having full and proper implementation of regulations, incentives to encourage innovation, etc.
At the same time, the private economy must cooperate well with leading state-owned enterprises as well as create an equal competitive environment between these two types of enterprises.
