Businesses say ‘one project needs 40 stamps’

At the Business and Law Forum on October 9, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hiep, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Contractors (VACC) said that site clearance and administrative procedures are the biggest problems for businesses. career.

Mr. Hiep gave an example: to clear land for construction projects, businesses need to organize dialogue with people, but this step is quite time-consuming. “Administrative procedures for investment projects using land are often lengthy, with some projects taking 14 years for site clearance,” Mr. Hiep shared.

Similarly, regarding administrative procedures, VACC Chairman said there are projects that need 38-40 stamps, from investment policy approval, planning, valuation until completion. Not to mention, most real estate projects that have to adjust their planning must ask for opinions from all departments and branches, which takes a lot of time, causing the project to prolong.

Sharing the same opinion, Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy – Director of the Office of the Private Economic Development Research Board (Division IV) said that administrative procedures that are not removed are barriers to businesses. “Administrative procedures are one of the top problems reported by businesses,” she commented.

According to Ms. Thuy, the Government has made efforts to solve this problem, but many issues are difficult to improve, especially related to foreign investment projects. “The process of each adjustment involves many departments and branches and is lengthy, so it is necessary to streamline focal points. This will partly solve problems related to planning,” Ms. Thuy commented.

Chairman of the Vietnam Construction Contractors Association Nguyen Quoc Hiep also proposed that management agencies increase decentralization and decentralization in some stages when adjusting planning. Thus, administrative agencies become more proactive in solving tasks and save time.

Regarding the management agency, Mr. Ha Quang Hung – Deputy Director of the Department of Housing and Real Estate Market Management (Ministry of Construction) said that simply, reducing administrative procedures is the Government’s consistent viewpoint. With construction investment projects, Mr. Hung said that in reality, many cuts have been made to reduce pressure on state agencies and businesses.

Also at the forum, some businesses reported problems with delayed value-added tax (VAT) refunds. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phung, Vietnam Association of Accountants and Auditors, the tax industry’s many rounds of checks avoid budget losses, but cause difficulties for businesses doing business legally.

He suggested that management agencies need to clearly stipulate the responsibilities of tax officials in the Law on Value Added Tax and Tax Administration, so that they are only responsible for reviewing records. This helps resolve VAT refund bottlenecks, creating a stable and flexible policy environment for taxpayers and management agencies.

“If there is a mistake at any stage, it will be resolved there, the responsibility should not be placed on tax agencies or officials alone,” Mr. Phung commented.

Concluding the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested ministries and branches to receive and explain satisfactorily to businesses and people. The Ministry of Justice synthesizes opinions to advise the Prime Minister.

“Resolving difficulties for businesses requires a combination of many factors, including perfecting institutions and policies,” he said. However, Government leaders recognize that officials and civil servants must increase their responsibility in performing public duties. Management agencies need to consider having a legal corridor so that officials and civil servants can work with peace of mind.

Regarding businesses, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested that they seriously comply with the law with good business culture, contributing more to national development.