VietNamNet Bridge – Industrial waste, unsafe frozen products
and petroleum have been imported in masses recently as temporary imports.
However, the importers do not intend to re-export the imports.
The Ministry of Finance MOF has
taken inspection tours to some key border gates namely Hai Phong, Lang Son and
Quang Ninh to find out the real situation of the temporary import for re-export
later.
A lot of products have not been
re-exported as initially scheduled, thus causing serious environment pollution
and harming people’s health. Meanwhile, the business deals have brought fat
profits to the goods owners.
The ministry, after the
inspection campaign, has urged to lay down a perfect legal framework to prevent
the big consequences of the temporary imports which are not re-exported later.
167 containers of goods seized
MOF has found that the turnover of
temporary imports for re-export has been increasing rapidly and abnormally
recently. In 2006, the total turnover of this kind of imports was 1.3 billion
dollars, while the figure jumped to 6.3 billion dollars in 2011. In the first
six months of 2012 alone, the figure was 3.8 billion dollars.
As such, Vietnam witnessed a
five-time increase in the imports turnover just within five years.
The problem lies in the gap
between the imports and the re-exports. In 2007, for example, Vietnam imported
1.755 billion dollars’ worth of goods, but the re-exports were worth 120
million dollars only. The figures were 5 billion dollars and 4 billion dollars,
respectively, in 2010.
Deputy Minister of Finance Do
Hoang Anh Tuan said that MOF’s officials, after inspecting three key
localities, have discovered 1010 consignment of goods, which should have been
re-exported 180 days ago. The smallest consignment of goods has one container,
while bigger consignments have tens of containers.
The General Department of Customs
has discovered violations in 167 out of the 277 containers of temporary
imports. These included 33 containers of frozen viscera. The other products
were prohibited goods, lead batteries and waste. The general department has
also affirmed that 500-600 40-feet “problematic” containers have been staying
inland.
“About 600 containers are
wandering somewhere and we have to track them down,” said Nguyen Van Can,
Deputy Head of the General Department of Customs.
“254 tons of sugar has gone out
of the Hai Phong Port since April, but the consignment of goods has not been
re-exported yet. We have found the consignment with the seal removed.
The sugar products are now in the
northern province of Lao Cai. It is very likely that the sugar products would
not be re-exported, while the goods’ owners would have to pay the high tax of
80 percent for domestic consumption. However, if a part of the sugar
consignment has been sold on the domestic market already, competent agencies
would impute the blame to the goods owners.
Competent agencies have also
found a big volume of petroleum imports which has not been re-exported. MOF has
suggested that the government should not allow importing petroleum products by
sea.
Also according to MOF, one of the
most important reasons behind this is the loopholes in the policies. Some kinds
of goods are prohibited in other countries, while not prohibited in Vietnam,
such as hazardous waste or used electronics parts.
Especially, under the current
laws, businesses are only required to show the contracts on temporary imports,
while no need to show the contracts on exporting the goods.
Compiled by C. V
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