Staff use bar-code reader systems to verify customer information at the Hai Phong City Tax Department. The Finance Ministry has promised to eliminate unnecessary tax filing procedures in order to simplify the process and shorten the clearance times for imports and exports. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung has promised to eliminate unnecessary tax filing procedures in September in order to shorten the process, as well as the clearance time for imports and exports.

In recent years, many administrative procedures have been reformed to accomplish this, Dung said in a People Ask-Ministers Answer programme on Sunday. However, the duration remained too long compared to other regional countries.

Domestic enterprises waited 1,050 hours to have their tax filings done in 2008, according to the World Bank. The time was reduced to 941 hours in 2010 and to 537 in 2012.

The ministry has worked with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and organisations designated by the World Bank to reduce the time it takes to complete tax declarations and payments.

In July, the ministry submitted a draft resolution on reforming administrative procedures and customs that aimed to reduce processing time from 537 to roughly 290 hours.

The ministry planned to make personnel training and rotation changes and vowed to cut one-third of formalities relating to businesses' social insurance payments so that processing time could be cut nearly in half.

The ministry aims to complete its re-examination of unnecessary procedures by this Friday. — VNS