Thai Binh: Building a Friendly, Business-supporting Administration

In recent years, despite being faced with numerous difficulties and challenges, Thai Binh province has endeavoured to improve the investment climate, develop investment attraction and preferential mechanisms, support enterprises, improve transportation infrastructure, build technical infrastructure in some industrial zones, and promote investment. The province also raises the awareness of civil servants and officials of the roles of enterprises in socio-economic development in order to formulate a truly friendly administration that always creates the best conditions for businesses to develop sustainably.

 

Thai Binh province has carried out action plans to promote the synergy of the entire political system, the business community and the people. The province has also stepped up the implementation of synchronous tasks and solutions based on conditions of the province, each industry, each locality and each unit. During the process of deployment, the province keeps close watch on every stage and unit to ensure the smoothness, synchrony and efficiency of joint efforts. By placing the objective of serving socioeconomic development on top, Thai Binh province has created a synchronous and efficient business support system.

 

Building a friendly, business-accompanying government is defined as an innovative attitude, right recognition and practical work of all levels, sectors and localities for the development of local enterprises and thus for the development of local economy and society. Based on its actual conditions, Thai Binh Provincial People’s Committee adopted action plans to improve the local business environment and competitiveness as specified in Document 05/CTHD-UBND dated August 6, 2012. The contents of this Document, with eight groups of solutions that aim at creating a favourable investment and business environment, are as follows.

 

One, Thai Binh province boosts information to raise right public awareness of roles, responsibilities and contributions of businesses in the current period. Seeing that businesses are facing numerous difficulties, procedural barriers, market fluctuations and interest rates, the province enhances information on the roles and contributions of enterprises in provincial socioeconomic development to the public and administrative apparatus. The province thus has practical activities to streamline investment procedures, access to land, construction, and capital sources.

 

Two, Thai Binh province steps up the formation of a favourable environment for investment, production and business activities of enterprises. Administrative units and officials are required to serve, guide and consult investors and handle procedures relating to enterprises in a quick manner. The province continues to perfect the single-window mechanism, streamline procedures concerning investment, land, construction, environment and tax in a bid to reduce 40 percent of waiting time as provided by the Government. It selectively licenses projects to ensure local environment and sustainable development, terminates and revokes investment licences of ineffective, sluggish and illegal projects. It also quickens land compensation, site clearance to provide land for enterprises.

 

Three, Thai Binh province boosts provision of information and advice for businesses. The province facilitates enterprises to access information related to production and business activities. Enterprises can access updated, sufficient information at the province’s electronics information portals. The Investment Promotion Centre under the Department of Planning and Investment is responsible for business advice and support.

 

Four, Thai Binh province implements business support policies, ensures full implementation of support policies regulated by the Government, and effectively applies local investment support and incentive policies. The province will continue to deploy Decision 09/2012/QD-UBND dated May 10, 2012 on a number of investment encouragement policies, carry out personnel training support policies, and pay attention to material conditions of labourers.

 

Five, the province creates the legal framework for business operations. Thai Binh will perfect regulations on the order of settling land disputes, treatments for workers, foreign hiring, and economic disputes and litigations. The province also actively receives feedbacks and opinions from the business community on policies.

Six, Thai Binh province enhances transparency and democracy in service to enterprises, increases publicity and transparency of policies and procedures concerning service fees and taxes at receptionist divisions at investment management agencies. The province continues to review and simplify administrative procedures.

 

Seven, the province raises corporate responsibility to local people, raises the responsiveness and closeness of government and people to businesses. The role of business associations is promoted to gather feedback and opinions on planning and policy-making that may affects business development in the province.

 

Eight, the province strengthens the rhythmic coordination of administrative apparatus in business development management and support. Provincial departments, agencies and local governments have plans to collect feedback from enterprises. Every year, the Provincial People’s Committee hosts meetings and dialogues with businesses and instructs its subordinates to handle with existing problems in accordance with the laws.