Amended Customs Law has taken effect from 1-1-2015 with new regulations in accordance with international standards and actual production condition of the country. In order to timely update enterprises on new regulations, and listen to difficulties in the implementation process, Binh Duong Customs cooperated with Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) - HCM City branch, business associations, foreign investors in the province to hold many meetings and dialogues to solve difficulties, facilitating production, import and export of goods.
New provisions of Customs Law
In many dialogues with businesses in the province, Mr. Nguyen Chi Thanh, Deputy Head of Supervision and Management division under Binh Duong Customs, introduced new regulations of Customs Law 2014, and focused on some outstanding issues, such as: storing goods during one year to actions of breaking seals, goods swap, arbitrarily circulating, using goods; 6 months for violations of the deadline for submission of specialized test results. Annulling some procedures relating to the management of processing, production and export; restricting rights of enterprises in materials transfer of processing contracts. Customs officials will inspect, when organizations or individuals do not have production facilities or import materials with abnormal prices. This inspection aims to detect and limit cases of businesses taking advantage of importing raw materials for processing exported products but using improperly materials.
Risk management consists of three main objects, namely, preferred businesses, complying businesses, and uncomplying businesses. Currently, the province has 2 preferred businesses: Hoa Sen Group, Vietnam Foster Electronics Company. Rate of records testing of complying businesses should not exceed 5% and 1% of shipments. uncomplying businesses must be inspected 50% records and 20% real goods. Amended Customs Law abrogated the submission of 5 records for exported goods and 4 records for imported goods…
Notes of import and export tax
Mr. Huynh Van Ut, Head of Import Export Tax division under Binh Duong Customs, said, 10 new points of import and export tax were: open tax regulations in cases of change of using purposes. Do not have to pay tax in cases of changing using purpose through re-export or transfer to objects being ineligible for tax exemption. The fine for tax late payment is 0.05%/day and is reduced in some cases of exported, imported goods, changes of using purpose, transfer to domestic market. Fine for tax late payment is exempted for additional taxes after having test results; imported raw materials for re-export.
Customs fees are collected only for the first customs declaration with more than 50 lines, because this is the general computer programming and also the general standards of international customs”.
One important improvement of the amended Customs Law is: “Do not apply compulsory measures for cases of owing customs fees”, and “Abrogating the jurisdiction of Customs department level to grant tax exemption”. Apart from above customs fees, businesses do not have to pay any charges. Binh Duong Customs published a manual of customs laws and procedures for businesses.
Questions need to be answered
At the dialogues, there were many questions from businesses. Mr. Shikaze Masakazu, CEO of NSSB Saigon Steel Co. (VSIP I, Thuan An town) said: “In the past, companies having questions about regulations and procedures did not know how to ask. Due to these dialogues, our difficulties have been removed. Steel has many items, categories, classifications, and application codes. We need a "window" to communicate regularly and directly when problems arise. Dialogues have helped us a lot”.
Ms. Nguyen Nhat Anh Thu, Deputy Director of Takako Company (VSIP II) asked for information: “Will regulations on importing used machinery, technologies be modified to avoid turning Vietnam into a technology landfill of the world, and to enable importing useful technologies from parents company to Vietnam?” This question received answer from the authorities: “The draft of decree regarding importing used machinery, technologies be modified to avoid turning Vietnam into a technology landfill of the world has been amended many times but has not been approved. Enterprises, business associations, investors should soon gather opinions on this issue and send to us”.
Reported by D.Chi, L.Xuyen – Translated by Ngoc Huynh
