Keep IT simple

It might not always feel as if the government is trying to making your life easier, but when it comes to eGovernment services, it certainly is

‘eGovernment’ sounds rather like something out of George Orwell’s 1984.
But in fact, there’s nothing to be scared of: when it works well, eGovernment is all about making life simpler for you.

The Action Plan for eGovernment in Sweden aims to create ‘the world’s simplest administration’, reducing paper work and giving you instant access to services without having to go to your municipal offices. It wants to make it as easy as possible for as many citizens as possible to exercise their civic rights and fulfil their obligations. The idea is to create a public administration based on the needs of the people in order to achieve significant changes in their daily lives. How? By making the most of digital technology.

A great example of this is the Migration Board’s online service for people interested in applying for Swedish citizenship. The first electronic citizenship application was approved in April 2010.
 

Not so taxing after all

Another example is the tax return service. All taxpayers have to do is to report a number via a phone call or a text message, or tick a box on the Tax Authority’s website.

The groundwork for this service was laid several years ago, when the Tax Authority started to simplify tax declarations by collecting information about everyone’s income, tax payments, assets possessed, bank statements and other public information, and then compiling our tax return form for us.

Since then, the burden for most people has been reduced to signing the pre-filledin form – more than four million Swedes did so this year.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Tax Authority has a host of other eServices for companies and the public alike, all designed to simplify tax, income and VAT reporting. This is typical of the way in which eGovernment is helping to make people’s lives easier.
 

Just for you

Five useful things that Swedish citizens can do online...
Apply for social security benefits
Enrol in higher education
Request a copy of a birth certificate
Report a theft to the police
Search for jobs through local labour offices

... and five eServices for businesses
Register a new company
Make customs declarations
Manage social contributions for employees
Make VAT declarations
Submit data to statistical offices


Extracted from our magazine supplement about Digital Sweden.  

 
“The internet is a real boon for businesses. For instance, I take care of tax returns, VAT and payroll taxes by exporting the files from my computer direct to the Tax Authorities.” Max Svernlöv, 41, company accountant, Malmö

 

The story so far

Milestones in the history of eGovernment:

1997 – the launch of Government e-Link, an initiative to drastically reduce the cost of exchanging information among public authorities by standardizing processes and using the internet.
2000 – Sweden sets out to become the first country to be an ‘Information Society for All’, with public information and services available electronically 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2006 – the National Strategy for eHealth is announced. Citizens, patients and relatives will get access to comprehensive information on healthcare, while care professionals will get efficient, interoperable eHealth solutions.
2009 – Sweden is one of 34 European countries to sign the Malmö Declaration, setting out ambitious goals for eGovernment, to be achieved by 2015.
 
 

Brochures

The Electronic Passport at work - Sweden


 

New Swedish Driver LicenseNew Swedish Driver License


 

Focus

The future of eDcouments
Electronic versions of secure documents have evolved gradually over the years to supersede their conventional counterparts.  Read More...

E-Citizenship
The Internet has brought tremendous change to Business and Governments are close observers of the evolution of business practises. 
Read more...