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Learn about the partnership between DIAN and Skatteverket in improving voluntary tax compliance, reducing errors and costs, and increasing trust in the tax system.
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Voluntary tax compliance Cooperation between DIAN and Skatteverket Anders Stridh & Lennart Wittberg, 1 – 5 June 2015
Swedens most modern government agency 2011 The jury: “The Swedish Tax Agency has changed from being a feared tax collector to becoming a well liked service organisation. The development has been persistent and focused. Service and treatment of taxpayers have improved. The culture of the organisation has changed.”
The purpose of communication and service Make it easy to comply – handle complexity Reduce unintentional errors Reduce costs for the tax administration Reduce compliance costs for the taxpayers Improve voluntary compliance Increase trust in the tax system 4
Trust and service delivery “Trust comes on foot and goes away on horseback” “…ample empirical evidence exists that satisfaction and trust are positively correlated. …show a significant association between satisfaction with public service delivery and trust in government…” “…the empirical results suggest that the breaking down of trust is easier to accomplish than the building up of trust. In other words, the impact of a negative experience with a public agency is much more pronounced than the effect of a positive one.” Source: Kampen, VaddeWalle, Bouckaert, “Assessing the relation between satisradtion with public service delivery and trust in government”
Attitudes? Impact on trust?
Three different attitudes A B C Negative impact on trust in the Tax Administration Negative impact on trust in the Tax Administration Positive impact on trust in the Tax Administration
Walking in the customers shoes Have you, as citizens, experienced the different attitudes in your contact with another organization? Give examples and reflect upon your own reaction in these situation. Could these situations been handled in another way? If so, how? A B C
Staff ledgers- Restaurants and hair dressers Introduced 2007 All traders must keep a ledger Employees in/out Spot checks (unannounced) Check if employees noted in ledger € 1000 fine if not
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7,5 million returns • 70 % electronically
3rd party reporting • Employers • Banks • Credit institutes • Insurance companies
3rd party reporting • Salaries, benefits etc. • Pensions etc. • Interest on savings • Stock dividends • Gain or Loss from sale of shares and funds • Interest paid on loans • Premiums on pension insurances • Sold shares • Sold houses • Sold apartments in condominiums
3rd party reporting • 60 – 80 million statements per year • 99,3 % electronically
How people perceive on-line services • They don’t provide confirmations and feedback • Trust in the service will affect the willingness to use it again • People perceive e-services as social actors and judge them in the same way as human interactions • This means that e-services is not just about functionality and technology • E-services should be perceived as responsive, express empathy and provide confirmation Source: Tan, Benbasat, Cenfetelli, “Building Citizen Trust towards e-government Services: Do High Quality Websites Matter?
Demands Questions Forms Applications Needs Security Confirmation Respect
Effective interactions where the user is in control – different arenas
Our strategy Each encounter with a taxpayer provides an opportunity for the agency to increase the trust of the public 27
We try to put the taxpayer in the centre, not the channels, but we provide different channels Our task is not to inform the taxpayer, it is to make the taxpayer informed • Important factors: • Can the problem be solved at the first contact? • Look at the cost for solving the problem, not just the cost for each contact 28
Service offices Cooperation between authorities Customer orientation Cost efficient High skilled staff
What can a service officer do? Give general information Give information about cases Help with applications Make decisions concerning easier cases Support with self services
The contact The moment of truth 31
Statements regarding the Tax Account Lets stop sending them out and save some money!
I want a copy of the statement regarding the tax account. Can you fax it to me? No statement? Use e-service? Too complicated. I call them instead.
Increasednumberofphone calls 70 % increaseofnumberof fax concerning tax account The taxpayerswerefrustrated The staffwas frustrated The e-service was not built from a userperspective Wecreatedfailuredemand Westartedtodevelopan e-mail solution Result!
Not every day, but often she comes to the service office. She is sick, has social phobia, is uncertain and very quiet. I helped her a few times and we've got a good contact. She can express herself when she talks, but not in writing. When she comes into our office, she tries to get eye contact with me. I know that if I nod to her she understands that I will help her soon. It feels good. She feels secure in my presence. Previously, she turned around and went home. Now she no longer turns back in the door. Now she thanks. (Service officer)
Bring the voice of the taxpayer into the organisation "After several attempts to send e-mails I now understand that the issue must be very short and very precise, otherwise the answer is vague or you refer to a whole document. " “I just want to say that the Tax Agency is great! You are always friendly and very helpful. I can not think of any institution, or company that is as service-minded as you are. Thank you for that!
