Taiwan’s Model for Electronics in Government
Published: June 26, 2006

Taipei’s WiFly network may be the most visible evidence of Taiwan’s technological aspirations, but behind the scenes the government has been working since the 1990’s on a far-reaching plan to use the Internet to make it faster and cheaper for bureaucrats to communicate among themselves and with citizens.

The rewards have been substantial. In 2005, 92 percent of businesses and 35 percent of individuals filed their taxes electronically, reducing paperwork and speeding up the payment of returns.

The island’s government distributes about 100,000 documents online every working day, saving about $3 million in postage. Before, when the prime minister’s office issued executive orders, it typically took up to a week to distribute them across the island. Now it takes about an hour.

By pooling the telecommunications services of all the ministries, the government saves about $70 million annually.

The government also accepts 15,000 online bids each month from companies seeking public contracts. Thousands of students and parents pay school tuition on the Internet, and citizens apply for drivers’ licenses, property titles and a host of other certificates online.

To speed up delivery of these services, about one million citizens now have identification cards with chips inside that, when scanned, instantly provide personal data.
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The government’s efforts have attracted notice. The Brown University Taubman Center for Public Policy put Taiwan at the top of its list of the world’s most Internet-savvy governments.