Overcoming difficulties in completing budget collection tasks after merger

STABILITY FROM THE FOUNDATION

The process of receiving and processing registration fee records and land tax collections of taxpayers is carried out quickly by the “one-stop” department of Thanh Chuong district. For registration records of cars and motorbikes, taxpayers only need to submit the records at the “one-stop” department. At that time, civil servants will enter the price list into the management application, print the tax payment notice, and hand it over to the taxpayer to fulfill their financial obligations.

For land revenue records, people go to the “one-stop” department, then go to the Land Use Registration Office to check the records and are transferred to the tax authority to determine financial obligations. Tax officers here will quickly process the records, print tax notices and payment receipts.

Instructions for tax declaration at Nghe An Tax Department. Photo: Lam Tung

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai in Thanh Hung commune, Thanh Chuong district said: “Recently, I bought a motorbike and went to the one-stop shop to pay the registration fee. Although there were many people coming, I saw that the tax officers processed the procedures quickly and people did not have to wait long.”

After the merger, Song Lam 1 Tax Department has 99 people, including 7 leaders, including 1 Head of Department and 6 Deputy Heads of Department. Currently, the Department has 6 tax teams (previously 13 teams), including 3 inter-commune tax management teams, team 1 in Do Luong district, team 2 in Thanh Chuong, team 3 in Tan Ky district; the remaining 3 tax teams are the tax management team, the inspection team, and 1 administrative - personnel - management team.

In Thanh Chuong and Tan Ky districts, there are 2 one-stop departments to handle administrative procedures for taxpayers. After the merger, 2 Branch Heads, 7 Team Leaders, 2 Union and Youth Union organizations were reduced. Responsibility allowances were reduced.

Training on data merger between regional tax branches after the merger. Photo: Lam Tung

Thanks to good preparation, Song Lam 1 Tax Branch has now been operating stably, tax officers and civil servants are assured in their work. The coordination between the Provincial Tax Department and the Branch is regular, continuous and has timely direction, ensuring the operation of the regional Tax Branch.

The merger of Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, and Tan Ky Tax Departments into Song Lam 1 Regional Department has solved the problem of streamlining staff, improving the quality of human resources, promoting the application of information technology, innovating management methods, and ensuring effective operation of the tax agency.

In the work of budget collection management, all accounts serving tax management work operate normally, the network system in the units operates stably, promptly supporting the "one-stop" department when there are problems.

Every year, Nghe An Tax Department organizes a dialogue with businesses to resolve problems. Photo: Lam Tung

In administrative reform, all enterprises submit tax declarations and tax payments online. The tax authority here will send documents back to taxpayers online. Therefore, business representatives do not need to come directly to the tax authority. However, after the merger into the Regional Tax Department, some difficulties were encountered. In which, coordination with local authorities is a matter of concern.

Previously, each branch only coordinated with one local government, now it must coordinate with the governments of all 3 districts or 2 districts and towns. In addition, the area is large, the staff has to travel further to the headquarters, and it is more difficult than before. The facilities at the headquarters do not meet the operational requirements of the new staff, such as offices, public houses, kitchens, etc.

POSITIVE RESULTS WITH INDUSTRY-WIDE EFFORTS

In the first 8 months of the year, the entire tax sector had 13/17 revenue items that met the estimated progress and were equal to or higher than the same period in 2018. Notably, important revenue items exceeded the estimated progress and increased compared to the previous year, such as: Central State-owned enterprise revenue reached 69% of the estimate, up 16%; Local State-owned enterprise revenue reached 70% of the estimate, up 5%; Revenue from industry, trade - services - non-state (CTN DV-NQD) reached 69%, up 13%; Environmental protection tax reached 75%, up 68%; Fees and charges reached 71%, up 11%; Registration fee collection reached 82%, up 31%; Land use right grant revenue reached 84%, up 9%; Personal income tax reached 81%, up 8%.

Excluding land use fees, the total revenue of the Tax Department in the first 8 months of 2019 reached 6,873 billion VND, equal to 121% over the same period; reaching 73% of the estimate. 9/10 Tax Branches have a collection progress of 81% or more of the estimate, of which 04 regional Tax Branches have completed the revenue estimate: Bac Vinh, Phu Quy II, Tay Nghe II, Song Lam II...

Production activities of enterprises in the area. Photo: Lam Tung

To achieve the above results, in addition to promptly advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue many documents directing the work of collecting state budget to ensure quality and practicality; promoting tax administrative procedure reform, strengthening propaganda and support for taxpayers; implementing many effective programs to prevent revenue loss... the Tax Department has done a good job of ideological work for civil servants in the whole industry.

Pursuant to Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 of the 12th Central Executive Committee stipulating a number of issues on continuing to innovate and reorganize the political system, streamlining and operating effectively, Nghe An Tax Department has developed a Project to establish a Regional Tax Branch under its management and has been approved by the Minister of Finance in Decision 920/QD-BTC dated May 31, 2019.

Accordingly, 20 Tax Departments of districts and towns were merged into 9 Regional Tax Departments and started operating from August 5, 2019. After the merger, the number of Tax Departments in Nghe An province was reduced by 11 Departments (from 21 to 10 Departments), 39 tax teams (from 97 teams to 58 teams).

Nghe An Tax Department staff handling work. Photo: Quang An

According to reports from the Regional Tax Departments, after 1 month of consolidation, the professional and technical activities of the departments in the Departments have been running smoothly. Taxpayers in districts and towns where the Regional Tax Departments are not located are still provided with maximum support, convenience and ease in connecting and working with tax authorities.