HCMC – The reform of administrative procedures should be carried out in a more determined manner as it may face challenges over the personal interests of various groups, according to representatives of business associations and experts.
This was one of the issues presented at a conference to seek recommendations for regulatory, policy and administrative procedure reforms to support post-COVID-19 business recovery.
The conference was jointly held on May 26 by the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform and USAID Vietnam.
Speaking at the event, To Hoai Nam, vice president of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, noted that greater efforts should be made to reform administrative procedures even though they may affect the private interests of many people, especially public servants and State employees.
According to economic expert Can Van Luc, scores of businesses in various fields have experienced difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Accordingly, Luc suggested eliminating opportunity costs and under-the-table fees when streamlining administrative procedures to help save costs for businesses. The expert added that reforms could affect special interest groups, as many ministries, agencies and local authorities want to maintain these costs for their own ends.
Earlier at the meeting, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung noted that the Government and the prime minister have taken many drastic steps to assist with business recovery, accelerate the disbursement of public investment capital and ensure public security and order amid the pandemic.
Also, the Government has continued to simplify administrative procedures, trim business conditions, reduce the number of categories of goods subject to specialized inspections and promote the application of digitalization in State agency operations.
Therefore, the minister asked to collect more feedback from the business community to enhance the reform of administrative procedures.