Digital transformation in provincial tax sector to better serve the needs of citizens and businesses

The implementation of the tax reform strategy for the period 2021-2030 and the 5-year plan for the application of information technology in the period 2021-2025 has yielded significant results for the provincial tax sector, with tax management becoming increasingly professional and efficient.

Checking the operation of servers at the Tax Division in Tan Uyen District

Strong application of information technology

Information from the provincial Tax Department reveals that from 2022 to the present, the tax sector has completed the upgrade of hundreds of management and support applications for taxpayers. The upgrading and deployment of these applications have met the requirements of new tax policies, contributing to improving the quality of tax management and supporting taxpayers in fulfilling their tax obligations.

Since June 2022, the General Department of Tax has successfully implemented electronic invoices for 100% of businesses, organizations, and individuals engaged in business activities. The provincial tax authority's electronic invoice system is now capable of receiving and processing hundreds of thousands of invoices per day. Specifically, from September 1 to September 30, a total of 6,025,280 electronic invoices were received and processed. Since December 15, 2022, the General Department of Tax has continued to expand the implementation of electronic invoices generated from cash registers. To date, nearly 270 businesses and individuals have registered to use electronic invoices with the tax authority's code generated from cash registers.

Alongside electronic invoices, the tax sector has also successfully implemented the eTax Mobile electronic tax filing service and the electronic portal for foreign water suppliers since mid-March 2022. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Tax Division in Tan Uyen district, said, "We have vigorously implemented this work, and although we initially encountered some difficulties due to taxpayers' unfamiliarity with the new procedures, with timely guidance, businesses and taxpayers in the district have recognized the benefits and gradually adapted to this new form of transaction."

With the efforts of the 5 regional tax departments, as of now, nearly 10,000 downloads, installations, and registrations have been made for the eTax Mobile application to file and pay taxes through the tax sector's electronic portal. The operation of the electronic portal for foreign water suppliers and the deployment of the eTax Mobile electronic tax service on mobile devices have brought about significant efficiency, laying a good foundation for the tax sector to further promote the application of information technology.

Promoting digital transformation

Sharing more about digital transformation in the tax sector, Nguyen Van Cong, Director of the provincial Tax Department, stated that in recent years, in line with the general direction of the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Tax, the provincial tax sector has always made efforts to reform and modernize tax management, from improving the legal environment to developing infrastructure and providing integrated and centralized electronic tax services. The successful implementation of electronic invoices has contributed to the development of e-commerce, digital business, cost savings in printing, storage, resources, and environmental protection, creating a transparent and equal business environment.

According to Nguyen Van Cong, with the principle of putting citizens and businesses at the center of service, the tax sector has been and is implementing many projects and tasks to comprehensively apply information technology in tax management and digital transformation. Therefore, the provincial Tax Department has identified the strategic goal of providing timely, fast, convenient, and intelligent electronic services and tools for citizens and businesses.

Canh Chi Cong, Chief Accountant of Riken Co. Ltd. of VSIP II A Industrial Park, evaluated that the use of electronic invoices has helped businesses reduce up to 70% of the steps in the invoice issuance process and 90% of disputes related to invoices, shorten payment and invoice management time by 99%, and save 80% of costs for each invoice.

Similarly, Le Thi Duyen, Accountant of Dong Lap Paper Packaging Co. Ltd. of Dat Cuoc commune in Bac Tan Uyen district, believes that the tax sector's strong application of information technology in tax management has promoted digital transformation in the business community, bringing high efficiency in production and business activities. In particular, the use of electronic invoices helps businesses maximize cost, time, and effort savings in invoice preparation, accounting, data reconciliation, invoice receipt, and transmission, as well as minimizing risks related to invoice loss.

It can be seen that the digital transformation in the tax sector has achieved positive results so far. However, according to the leadership of the provincial Tax Department, digital transformation is still ahead, requiring continuous transformation in terms of guidance, leadership, and the provision of synchronized technical infrastructure along with corresponding fundamental legal frameworks.

Reported by Hong Thuan - Translated by Vi Bao