Inapproving the plan, the ministry regarded IT as the key factor inboosting modernisation and innovation of financial operations,establishing the foundation for an e-public finance sector, and settingup a unified information management system.
Theorientations take into account strategic plans for the finance sector,which meet evolving economic requirements, improve processes, andsimplify administrative procedures.
The master plan gives top priority to IT use at all levels.
All ministry agencies and units at the provincial level and upwards will have websites with essential information.
Almost a third of public services and 90 percent of tax declarationswill be done online, while 80 percent of all kinds of taxes will also bepaid online.
It will ensure 90 percent of customs offices in provinces and cities are equipped with IT.
IT applications will also enable the ministry to keep closer control over State budget spending.
This is because 20 percent of the ministry's bidding packages forpublic projects will be done online, including bidding plans, bidinvitations, and list of bidders and results.
To fulfilthis plan, the ministry is making preparations to develop a large, coreintegrated information system that can serve taxation, customs, budget,treasury, securities, and many other operations.
Nationaldata such as budget revenue and expenditure, financial management ofpublic works, and financial information about State assets, publicagencies, and taxpayers will be incorporated in the information systems.
Sector insiders said once the IT infrastructure isperfected by 2015, all information about orders issued bydepartment-level managers upwards and all reports by the ministry andits departments will be uploaded on the ministry's websites.
All ministry employees will be authorised to use an e-library system for performing their jobs.
The finance minister can hook into online meetings held by the Prime Minister and heads of finance sector agencies.
Experts said however that the ministry will have to provide intensivetraining for workers to ensure they could handle the modern IT system./.