VietNamNet Bridge – Ministries of Finance, Industry and Trade have announced the number of administrative procedures they expect to remove or simplify this year as part of their efforts in realising the Government’s Resolution 19 about improving the business climate.

Enterprises apply for customs clearance at the Huu Nghi border gate in the northern Lang Son Province. The Ministry of Finance keeps taking measures to cut time for customs clearance. – Photo: VNA/VNS

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said that by the end of the year, the ministry would remove ten administrative procedures imposed by central Government.

Another 19 procedures imposed by local governments at the provincial level and two procedures imposed by the central Government would be simplified.

The procedures are in fields that include heavy industry, business competition management, issuance of licences for the liquor trade, liquor production, trade of tobacco and materials, tobacco production, industrial explosives and materials for explosive production.

Head of the ministry’s Planning Department Vu Ba Phu said that 32 new legal normative documents relating to administration were proposed last year.

Such new documents led to the addition of 82 new administrative procedures, the amendment of 32 procedures and the removal of 51 relating to the industry and trade sector.

Phu said that changes to administrative procedures also helped in compliance with new laws such as Law on Investment and Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.

All the changes would be public by the end of this month.

Minister Tuan Anh also urged relevant agencies to establish a system to receive feedback from citizens and businesses on issues of administration via the Internet.

The ministry would also speed up receiving and delivering administrative documents through online channels or by post rather than time consuming face-to-face transactions.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung also approved the ministry’s action plan to implement the Government’s Resolution 19 on improving the business climate.

The plan concentrates on measures for further administrative reforms, particularly in taxation and customs, information and technology; and increase in transparency and accountability.

The ministry planned to reduce the total time for tax payment to 110 hours per year by 2020, time for customs clearance on exported goods to less than 36 hours and imported goods to less than 41 hours.

The tax sector reduced the total time for tax payment to 117 hours last year or 50 hours lower than that of 2014.

VNS