Illustrative image (Source: VNA)Improving business environment is vital to increase competitiveness for enterprises, especially in the light of international integration, heard a workshop in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 25.
Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) Nguyen Dinh Cung pointed to shortcomings in the business climate at both national and local levels, saying that more than half of the legal documents in the field of economy are no longer suitable with the reality, significantly hindering business activities.
He noted that Vietnam lies at the end of the World Bank list of business climate indicators such as business start-up, social insurance and tax payment, construction licences, electricity and credit access, and contract disputes settlement.
Besides complicated and overlapping administrative procedures, the time to deal with paper work is too long. Specifically, it takes 34 days to get a start-up licence in Vietnam, while it takes only one day in New Zealand; the customs clearance duration in Vietnam is 21 days, but only 6 days in Singapore.
Deputy Head of the CIEM’s Business Environment Department Nguyen Minh Thao mentioned another problem, which is unofficial “fees” besides tax and fees. Therefore, it is important to create a transparent business environment and increase professional ethics among State employees.
At the same time, it is necessary to push ahead with the application of information technology in administrative reform, she suggested.
It is reported that over 90 percent of State-run administrative agencies have applied information technology. But in reality, many places have failed to establish a database and links between departments, she noted.-VNA
