|
Project 30, introduced in 2007 to simplify administrative procedures, has been a
breakthrough, deputy Tran Du Lich of HCM City told the National Assembly
yesterday, Nov 9.
It had been a major
step toward the target of publicising administrative procedures and had given
the public the tools to supervise State administrative agencies, he said. The deputy was among a
majority of parliamentarians who agreed that it had been correct to assign the
National Assembly the task of overseeing the reform of administrative procedures
for land, housing, tax and customs. Their opinions were
part of an appraisal of Government’s achievements in administrative reform as it
has affected ordinary people and enterprises during the past ten years,
especially since the launch of Project 30. Their debate, which
assessed a Standing Committee report, was televised nationally. The report says that
for the first time Viet Nam has a National Database for Administrative
Procedures in State Management for the centre; provinces, districts and
communes. The Government has
continuously asked the assembly to revise and promulgate numerous laws and
decrees and to implement specific solutions to accelerate administrative reform,
it says. It also shows that
most ministries, sectors and localities have met their requirement to simplify
30 per cent of administrative procedures. Among 5,421 procedures
reviewed, 480 were reduced to 192 with 4,416 revised and amended. In addition, Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has required that the simplification process reduce
administrative costs for individuals and enterprises by a yearly 30 per cent. Deputy Huynh Nghia, Da
Nang, said the database and the introduction of online services was the most
noticeable success. More than 5,700
administrative procedures are now available to the public online. “It’s calculated that
administrative procedure simplification saves us about VND7,900 billion (US$395
million) each year,” the deputy said. “The figure is very
impressive and is the result of the State’s attempts to simplify administrative
procedures.” Deputy Nguyen Van
Quynh, northern Quang Ninh Province, and Pham Manh Hung, northern Thai Nguyen
Province, together with deputy Huynh Van Tiep, Can Tho, the Mekong Delta, said
the achievements in administrative-procedure reform were reflected in
socio-economic development and the improved investment environment. Deputy Hung reported
that almost 10,000 foreign-invested projects with a total investment capital of
US$155 billion have been launched since 2001. The number of foreign
companies operating in Viet Nam had increased from 14,440 before 2001 to almost
62,800 in 2010. The improved
administrative procedures had also made transactions between the people and
enterprises with State agencies easier. “The simplified and
standardised procedures help ordinary people and enterprises save about VND5,700
billion ($ 285 million) each year,” he said. Some deputies hailed
the World Bank and International Finance Corporation’s report Doing Business
2011 as a vivid example of how administrative reform had progressed. The report, published
last Thursday, lists Viet Nam among the world’s 10 most improved economies. “The report is the
most specific and subjective proof of the success of the Government’s
administrative reform of the past ten years,” said Deputy Pham Thi Hai, southern
Dong Nai Province. Natural Resources and
Environment Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen said simplification of administrative
procedures had initially helped reduce more than 50 per cent of implementation
costs. “The granting of land
for an investment project used to require 11 steps and take between 4-6 years,”
the minister said. “The process was now
reduced by one-third and in some places, like Ha Noi, HMC City and Da Nang, it
took only one year.” “The granting of a
land-use certificate takes only 30 days instead of 55 days as regulated.” Shortcomings Many deputies
complained that numerous administrative procedures were duplicated, took too
long and lacked transparency, despite the success. Deputy Nguyen Ngoc
Minh, central Ninh Thuan Province and deputy Cao Si Kiem, northern Thai Binh
Province, said the bureaucratic practices of administrative staff remained a
barrier to business. Deputy Pham Thi Hai
said many individuals and enterprises were afraid to ask for land-use
certificates; or to borrow money or seek business licences. “Administrative
procedures remain time-consuming,” she said. This was reason many
individuals and enterprises were willing to pay to get the paper work done
quickly. “It’s like a procedure
within the administrative procedures.” Deputies Tran Thi Loc,
northern Bac Kan Province, and Huynh Nghia, Da Nang, said people were the most
important to the success of the administrative reform and should be given more
attention. Both complained the
administrative staff could not live from their salaries and this was among the
reasons for their seeking ways to make money illegally. Deputy Mai Thi Anh
Tuyet, southern An Giang Province, said salaries and training for administrative
staff should be included in administrative reform. e-Government The application of
information technology was the key to successful State management, advised
deputy Le Doan Hop, northern Hung Yen Province. “It’s the fastest way
to implement administrative procedures and most effective way to minimise
negatives,” he said. “The deputy said the
existing online services for individuals and enterprises were limited because
online application facilities were limited as were the IT qualification of
numerous officials. Deputy Tran Thi Quoc
Khanh, Ha Noi, was the single member to suggest the VAT, or Value Added Tax,
should be paid quarterly instead of monthly as now. The deputy said
export-import tariffs must be made more transparent because existing
shortcomings loaded enterprises with unexpected costs. VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News | 
