An Giang Customs: Focus on facilitating and controlling special import and export goods

(HQ Online) - Managing an area with a border of nearly 100 km, with many special import and export goods, An Giang Customs Department has had solutions to both facilitate trade and strictly control these goods.

Hải quan An Giang kiểm tra thóc nhập khẩu. Ảnh: T.H

An Giang Customs inspects imported rice. Photo: TH

Removing obstacles for imported sand

In early 2024, Circular No. 04/2023/TT-BXD dated June 30, 2023 of the Ministry of Construction on National Technical Regulations on Construction Materials and Products came into effect (referred to as Circular 04), many businesses encountered difficulties in the procedures for registering for quality inspection of imported sand, causing many shipments to be congested at the border gate. The leaders of An Giang Customs Department quickly intervened to remove obstacles for businesses.

According to Mr. Luu Tuan Binh, Deputy Director of An Giang Customs Department, in the list of products and construction materials in Circular 04, there are regulations on natural sand for concrete and mortar, HS code 2505.10.00, which is subject to quality inspection of imported goods. However, through reviewing the List of Vietnam's export and import goods issued with Circular No. 31/2022/TT-BTC dated June 8, 2022 of the Ministry of Finance , imported sand has only two types: one is "silica sand and quartz sand" HS code 2505.10.00, the other is "other types" HS code 2505.90.00. Thus, with the same code 2505.10.00, the product name in Circular 04 and in the List of Vietnam's export and import goods are not consistent with each other.

In fact, before January 5, 2024, enterprises importing natural river sand from Cambodia when completing procedures declared code 2505.90.00, the Department of Construction of An Giang province also agreed with this code and registered for state inspection of the quality of imported goods. However, on January 9, 2024, the Department of Construction of An Giang province sent an official dispatch to the An Giang Customs Department informing that customs declarations of imported sand with HS code 2505.90.00 were not subject to state inspection of quality according to QCVN 16:2023/BXD and refused to accept the registration for state inspection of the quality of imported goods.

Because the enterprise is waiting for the Department of Construction of An Giang province to give its opinion, a large number of vehicles carrying Cambodian natural river sand gathered at the border gate from January 5, 2024 to January 10, 2024. Vinh Xuong Border Gate Customs Branch has instructed and explained to the enterprise about this, but the enterprise is concerned that if the quality is not assessed, it will be difficult to sell to construction projects (because when purchasing, the enterprise is required to provide a certificate of goods quality).

From the above situation, An Giang Customs Department considered the tax and determined that both types of sand (code 2505.10.00 and 2505.90.00) have an import tax rate of 0% and a VAT of 10%, the only difference is whether or not they are quality inspected (silica sand and quartz sand with HS code 2505.10.00 must be inspected for quality; other types of sand with HS code 2505.90.00 do not have to be inspected for quality according to Circular 04). Therefore, the leaders of An Giang Customs Department unanimously directed the Vinh Xuong International Border Gate Customs Branch to carry out procedures for importing natural river sand for enterprises depending on whether the enterprise declared code 2505.10.00 or code 2505.90.00 to clear congestion of vehicles and goods at the border gate and avoid causing damage to enterprises, so all goods were cleared immediately.

Identify key product groups

Managing an area with a border of nearly 100 km, with many special import and export products, such as sugar, sand, agricultural products... An Giang Customs Department has had solutions to proactively remove obstacles, facilitate trade, and strictly control these products.

According to the assessment of An Giang Customs Department, the situation of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transportation of goods across the border in recent times has occurred in small quantities, the most prominent items being cigarettes, cosmetics, sugar, and gold. During the Lunar New Year, the situation of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across the border tends to become more complicated. To effectively prevent violations of customs laws, An Giang Customs Department has implemented many plans, with specific solutions, and coordinated with forces inside and outside the industry. In 2023, the unit discovered and arrested 36 cases, with the value of exhibits being 224,509 million VND; coordinated with forces to arrest 67 violations, with the value of goods being nearly 14 billion VND.

At the conference to deploy the unit's tasks in 2024, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Customs Nguyen Van Tho suggested that An Giang Customs Department should pay attention to implementing a number of aspects of work. In particular, for management supervision, it is necessary to clearly define the operating areas of the Customs agency; review the centralized inspection locations at border gates, and recommend that localities need to have centralized planning, not fragmented planning to ensure effective inspection and supervision work.

An Giang is identified as a hot spot for smuggling on the Southwest border. An Giang Customs Department has identified key items. However, the Deputy Director General suggested that the unit should add more items such as imported sand; temporarily imported and re-exported goods; drugs... to the list of key items, in order to have appropriate inspection and control plans. In particular, pay attention to inspection of imported and temporarily imported and re-exported sand, especially for declarations classified as Yellow...

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