For the project "Reform model of quality control, food safety inspection for imported goods", if we do well, there will be very radical reforms to create a huge room for growth. The project will be a step of reform, creating openness, transparency, cutting costs, time and creating favorable conditions for businesses.

Procedure elimination remains a barrier

At the meeting, Minister, Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung emphasized that, from the beginning of the Government term XIV up to now, with the determination of the Government, the efforts of ministries and agencies have cut 3,893 /6,191 business conditions. Cut 6,776 / 9,926 list of goods lines subject to specialized inspection and 30/120 administrative procedures related to specialized inspection. Total social expenses saved are about 18 million working days / year, equivalent to more than 6,300 billion VND / year.

According to the Minister, Chairman of the Government Office, despite efforts to reform, procedures for importing goods still have barriers to market entry; increase cost, time, and expense for society.

Therefore, the Government has assigned the Ministry of Finance to lead the formulation of a project on specialized inspection reform in the direction that the customs office is the focal point to carry out specialized inspection at border gates (except for related goods. to security, defense, quarantine ...), specialized management ministries perform post-inspection. At the meeting, the Minister, Chairman of the Government Office suggested the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries need to discuss and discuss the Scheme, in particular the name, scope and new model in the inspection reform. Specialized inspection, food safety inspection for imported goods ...

Therefore, according to the Minister, Head of the Government Office, the improvement of the index of cross-border trade transactions and the general index of the business environment and national competitiveness need to have specific solutions. , especially the specific solution to implement the Resolution 01 / NQ-CP, the Resolution 02 / NQ-CP of the Government, in addition to the Resolution 68 / NQ-CP of the Government issued in May 2020. Targets in the period from 2020 to 2025 to cut and simplify at least 20% of regulations and cut at least 20% of regulatory compliance costs related to business activities in existing documents that become take effect.

Estimated one year saves 881 billion VND for businesses

The project's objectives are to cut costs, time and facilitate businesses; protecting the legitimate rights and interests of business organizations and individuals and consumers; improve quality management efficiency for imported goods.

The project includes 7 reforms. In particular, the first reform is to assign customs offices to be the focal point for quality inspection and food safety inspection of imported goods at border gates. Customs offices are the focal point for quality inspection and food safety inspection of imported goods at border gates.

According to estimated data, the percentage of declarations for quality inspection and food safety inspection in a year can be reduced according to the new model about 54.4% compared to the current model (not including the reduction of inspected consignments proposed by the Scheme to increase the subjects that are exempt from inspection).

The total number of days of quality inspection and food safety inspection that the enterprise can save when applying the new model compared to the current one in a year is over 2.4 million days. The cost saved for the business in a year thanks to the number of days cut is more than 881 billion (approximately 37.8 million USD).

Reforms of checks on imported products would create large room for growth: minister

Officials of Móng Cái Customs Department, Quảng Ninh Province checks products. Reforms of checks on imported products would help improve the business climate and reduce time and cost. — Photo baoquangninh.com.vn

Reforms of checks on imported products would help improve the business climate while reducing time and costs, which would give significant room for growth, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng has said.

Dũng was speaking at the Government Office’s meeting on Tuesday to discuss the draft project about reforms of quality and food safety control on imported products following the proposal of the Ministry of Finance.

Dũng said there were barriers in procedures for importing products, which was time-consuming and pushing up costs, adding that the project aimed to tackle these problems and create a favourable business environment.

The World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report announced in October last year revealed Việt Nam's ranking for the ease of trading across borders dropped four spots from 100th to 104th out of 190 economies while the ease of doing business fell one spot from 69th to 70th.

Detailed measures must be raised to improve ease of trading across borders as well as the business climate and national competitiveness, especially in the context that the Vietnamese Government set the targets of simplifying and cutting at least 20 per cent of business regulations and slashing at least 20 per cent of compliance costs, Dũng said.

“If we do well with reforms on checks on imported products, it will create large room for growth," Dũng said.

Deputy Minister of Finance Vũ Thị Mai said reforms were being carried out but more drastic measures were needed to create breakthroughs.

Specialised checks on imports remained a burden on business, which increased time spent on customs clearance and undermined national competitiveness in trading across borders, she said.

Mai said the project would aim to cut time and costs and create favourable conditions for business, protect the rights of businesses and consumers and improve efficiency in the management of imported products.

The project would focus on reforms which would make customs the focal point for quality and food safety control on imported products.

The finance ministry estimated the reformed model would help reduce the number of declarations for quality and food safety control per year by about 54.4 per cent and help save 2.4 million working days, equivalent to VNĐ881 billion (US$37.8 million).

A representative from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the project needed to clarify the roles of other ministries in carrying out specialised checks and post-clearance checks to have the most appropriate reforms.

Ngô Hải Phan, Director of the Government Office’s Administrative Procedures Control Agency, said the project would put enterprises at the centre to create the best possible conditions for their operation, reduce time and costs while improving transparency and efficiency in management.

Dũng also asked ministries to hasten reforms to remove inconsistencies and overlaps which were burdening businesses.

During the past four years, 3,893 out of 6,191 business prerequisites were removed or simplified, together with removing 6,776 out of 9,926 product lines subjected to specialised checks for customs clearance. This helped save more than 18 million working days, equivalent to more than VNĐ6.3 trillion.