Reduce the number of tax branches by half, eliminate transaction offices of provincial treasury
Stricter management of customs officers, limiting negativity in the implementation of duties, this is the Prime Minister's "reminder" to the Ministry of Finance conveyed by Minister, Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, Head of the Prime Minister's Working Group, at the inspection on the afternoon of April 6.
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| Scene of the working session. Photo: Van Diep - VNA |
According to Minister Mai Tien Dung, the Customs sector has strongly reformed, publicly and handled many problems that have been pending for many years, "but the Prime Minister noted that the management of customs officers should be more strict, limiting negativity in the implementation of duties, even the issue of behavioral culture, related to the settlement of documents at customs and border gates". Hoping that the Customs sector will innovate more drastically, the Minister said that in addition to innovating the control on the information technology system instead of "hand-holding, hand-touching", the Customs sector needs to be enthusiastic in attitude and behavioral culture, because "entering the border gate, airport is meeting the customs team, which can be said to represent the nation".
The Prime Minister's note on "Continuing to reform, innovate, and streamline the financial staff to be professional and effective" was conveyed by Minister Mai Tien Dung and stated that: The number of staff in agencies and general departments under the Finance sector is very large, the Ministry needs to continue to reform in the direction of being compact, effective, and professional. Financial staff need to go to the grassroots more, grasp the difficulties in localities, establishments, corporations, and general companies in the practice of implementing mechanisms and policies to have better adjustments.
In addition, Minister Mai Tien Dung emphasized the need to effectively manage public assets, ensure proper use, standards, norms, and guidelines for ministries, agencies, and localities in purchasing and managing public assets, especially the purchase of cars and expensive equipment; and strongly apply information technology in the management of public assets. In particular, the Ministry of Finance actively helps the Prime Minister advise and submit to the National Assembly on the regulations on the use of public vehicles and the allocation of public vehicles. The Ministry of Finance takes the lead in the pilot but at the same time also builds a mechanism to propose to competent authorities for decision.
Regarding tax arrears, by the end of 2017, the total amount of tax arrears was VND 78,466 billion (equal to about 8% of total tax and fee revenue in 2017), although the Ministry of Finance has implemented many solutions to urge, inspect, and examine businesses with arrears, and directed localities to publicly disclose businesses with arrears on the Internet. Minister Mai Tien Dung requested the Ministry of Finance to study solutions to prevent revenue loss for individual business households.
“A business is operating very strongly but the business license tax is only 1.5 million VND, a woman selling water also has a business license tax of 300,000 VND, showing that establishing a business involves control, tax reporting, tax settlement... it is better to be a business with a lump sum tax”, the Minister suggested that the Ministry reduce the direct tax payment by businesses, reduce the contact of businesses with agencies and public servants.
In addition, Minister Mai Tien Dung also suggested that the Ministry of Finance should coordinate more strongly with ministries, branches and localities to speed up work; handle the issue of equitized enterprises that refuse to list on the stock exchange; continue to review business conditions and related documents; and proactively participate in strategic conferences at the national level chaired by the Prime Minister.
Eliminate provincial treasury transaction offices
Explaining to the Working Group, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Customs Hoang Viet Cuong admitted that despite all efforts, it is necessary to continue to reform more strongly, because there are still some "bad apples spoiling the barrel" by not cultivating ethics. In the coming time, the sector will strengthen inspections of public affairs and internal affairs, focus on political and ideological education for cadres; strictly handle violations. Currently, the sector has completed a set of documents on behavioral education for cadres, moving towards synchronous implementation throughout the sector. In 2018, the sector will deploy a job position project, reform the apparatus, and streamline the payroll.
According to Mr. Hoang Viet Cuong, for the Customs sector, reforming administrative procedures is a prerequisite to minimize contact between businesses and customs agencies. The sector has also equipped scanners and surveillance cameras from the time of procedures to the warehouse, applied surveillance to both seaports and airports, monitored containers from entry to exit, manual inspection is rare.
Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation Dang Ngoc Minh said: In 2016, more than 42,000 billion VND of tax arrears were recovered; in 2017, more than 44,700 billion VND was recovered, and in the first two months of 2018, more than 6,900 billion VND was recovered. The General Department has assigned debt collection targets to tax departments and tax branches, notified businesses with debts of 5 million VND or more, and handled debts. The direction and professional work has been implemented synchronously. This is one of the evaluation criteria in the direction and operation of the Tax Department.
Regarding reducing the contact between taxpayers and tax authorities with enterprises, the General Department has currently implemented synchronous procedures for tax payment, tax declaration, and electronic tax refund; at the same time, it has developed an inspection and examination plan according to the self-selected method and implemented an electronic diary with the inspection and examination team.
In the coming time, all information will be connected to the tax authority and will be authenticated. Thus, the tax authority will grasp the transactions. If this project is well implemented, it will be a good condition to prevent revenue loss, strictly control the sales as well as the production and business activities of enterprises, and be the basis for strictly managing the tax refund of enterprises, said the Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation.
According to Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung, in the coming time, the Ministry will review the organization of the Tax, Customs and Treasury apparatus. "For Customs, the new branch is the operational unit, the department is somewhat an intermediary, so it must be calculated. The Treasury has conducted a review in the direction of the provincial and district treasuries retaining it, because it is related to poor districts." Minister Dinh Tien Dung said that 63 transaction offices belonging to provincial treasuries will be resolutely abolished and transferred to the provincial treasury; cutting half of the 713 tax branches from now until 2021./.
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