Jantima Sirisaengtaksin, principal adviser of the Revenue Department, said the online tax services for disabled people aim to reduce the digital divide. The department is testing an online tax services prototype by applying text-to-speech technology and tools which allow people to access the services.

The department has started to provide Web accessibility for the disabled with access to the Revenue Code to provide tax information. It expects to offer other tax information for the handicapped this year.

She said the department expects more than 60,000 disabled people will access the services nationwide. This year the department will also provide short message system (SMS) services for taxpayers that use the Internet to submit returns and pay tax online. The system will send an SMS back with information such as refund details and individual tax information.

"We try to provide services which make it more comfortable for taxpayers to encourage them to use the new media," said Jantima.

The department is also testing a system to share information between government agencies such as the Interior Ministry and the Anti-Money Laundering Office. As a result, government agencies will be able to provide information about public services anywhere any time. Taxpayers will also be able to access their information from a single window as well as reach other government agencies.

She said that last year 6.9 million taxpayers paid their individual tax via the Internet from a total of eight million taxpayers. The department this year expects seven million taxpayers will pay their individual tax over the Internet. It plans to develop the system to support electronic business, government and commercial services to public.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation