Pay Tax on Internet

People can receive a certification card of national tax payment and an enterprise registration card through Internet wherever they want to receive without visiting a tax office in person from April next year.

And it will be feasible to make a combined use of Data Base (DB) of 5 classifications like residence, real estate, car, enterprise, and tax, which are built in organizations, such as the Ministry of the Government Administration and Home Affairs, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation. So people can issue related civil affair documents at one place at a time by November next year.

The Presidential Commission on Electronic Government (chairperson Ahn Moon-Seok the professor of Korea Univ.) reported the plan and the process of its projects in the briefing for the open electronic government, which was called by the President Kim Dae-Jung on 24th.

The chairperson Ahn said, "`Unified window of Electronic Government` will be introduced by the end of October, which unites the Internet services that are provided separately by each institute. And then 400 kinds of civil services can be conducted through Internet at home."

The Commission will link up to 4 social insurances on the web like health insurance, pension, employment insurance, and industrial disaster compensation insurance, which make people take care of the contract, alteration, and cancellation at any corporation at a time.

The Office of National Tax Administration will allow to report and to pay the withholding tax, special consumption tax, and liquor tax through Internet from April, and will extend it to all tax items from November.

President Kim ordered the government, "It is necessary to improve related laws in order to complete the Electronic Government project. So prepare in advance to treat every requirement at the first extraordinary session of National Assembly next year. And the completion of Electronic Government project will help domestic data process system companies to find a world market."

President Kim also emphasized, "Electronization of the government purchase process will play a decisive role in improving the transparency of the government up to the international standard."

Kwang-Am Cheon iam@donga.com