IT spearheads reformed taxation
Boosting IT applications will have a dramatic impact on taxation and customs authorities’ performances.
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Smart IT gadgets will help provide a more transparent taxation system for firms |
The General Department of Taxation’s (GDT) plan to deploy IT applications in 2009-2010 has been approved by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and VND2,033 billion ($116,840,000) will be spent building a taxation IT system to meet rapid taxation changes.
Key targets include electronic services for taxpayers and the execution of personal income tax (PIT), corporate income tax (CIT) and value added tax (VAT) laws. The plan also aims to enable the IT system to centrally process data, protect security and bandwidths for data exchanges within the system with external systems and integrate a broader financial information system, including customs, budgetary management and public financial management systems.
The GDT plans an intensive training programme that promises by 2010 that 100 per cent of taxation office IT officials will be able to support system users and manage IT projects, 95 per cent of taxation officials can fluently operate specialised IT application and 90 per cent of management level officials can direct subordinates via the internet.
The PIT law’s implementation is expected to spearhead major taxation system improvements. GDT’s deputy director Le Hong Hai said: “The construction and deployment of PIT management solutions, especially IT solutions according to international standards will have strong impacts on the transformation and modernisation of taxation management processes.”
The use of IT solutions to apply international standards is also a major target for customs in 2009. As such standards are applied in modern electronic custom procedures, less documents are required, custom clearance times are reduced and less dishonest acts occurred thanks to reduced direct interaction between businesses and custom officials.
The General Department of Customs (GDC) said it planned to deliver major improvements in 2009 to the IT system, including network infrastructure, hardware, software and security, to raise the proportion of procedures covered by the system from 67 to 80 per cent in 2008. So far, electronic custom declarations have been trialled in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. In 2009, the GDC plans to expand the activities into other hot spots such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Lang Son.
For internal professional practices, GDC has signed a contract with FPT-IS to build an integrated application to automatically process data across the system on a centralised basis, ensuring accurate data transfer between offices. The initial application will be deployed by Ho Chi Minh City customs. Its highly flexible nature will allow it to be scaled up for the national system.
VietNamNet/VIR
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