XN000022-1981-07-22 — Page 16

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 1981

15

COMPUTERS AND TAX LAW ENFORCEMENT

*****

+DATABASE+ HELPS TO ACCOMPLISH EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT OF THE TAX LAW AND ANTI-TAX EVASION ACTIVITIES, THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF INLAND REVENUE, MR ANTHONY AUYEUNG, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT A MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON WEST, ON THE SUBJECT COMPUTER ISATION AND THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT, MR AUYEUNG POINTED OUT THAT +CENTRAL IS ING+ THE COLLECTION OF DATA STORED IN THE COMPUTER, MADE IT QUICKER AND EASIER TO LOCATE AND RETRIEVE TAXPAYERS' IDENTIFICATION DATA AND INFORMATION.

+ IN OTHER WORDS, A CENTRAL CROSS-REFERENCING FACILITY IS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE, HE SAID.

+ALL INTER-LINKED RECORDS WILL BE SIMULTANEOUSLY UPDATED AND COMMUNICATIONS EFFICIENTLY ADDRESSED TO CURRENT LOCATIONS.+

+OUR STAFF ARE GRADUALLY RELIEVED OF THE MOUNTING ROUTINE WORK, SUCH AS THE ISSUING OF TAX RETURNS, TAX DEMAND NOTES AND DEFAULT STATEMENTS, AS WELL AS THE PROCESSING OF RECORDING PAYMENTS AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION, WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE TO BE HANDLED MANUALLY. +

MR AUYEUNG NOTED THAT TODAY THERE ARE OVER 2 900 STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT AND THE ESTIMATED TOTAL COLLECTION FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR WOULD BE ABOUT $11.5 BILLION.

+THEY CAN NOW CONCENTRATE ON SEEKING TO CARRY OUT THE IR MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY

THE DETERMINATION OF ASSESSMENTS IN PROPER AMOUNT PERMISSIELE UNDER THE LAW AND THE EQUITABLE ENFORCEMENT OF THE TAXING STATUTES, HE SAID.

HE EMPHASISED THAT ALL COMPUTER APPLICATIONS STILL NEED HUMAN RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THEM.

THE END-COMPUTER-PRODUCT COULD NOT BE COMPLETELY IMMUNE FROM MISTAKES, AND THE EXAMINATION AND ANALYSIS OF TAXPAYERS' DATA WOULD CONTINUE TO REQUIRE THE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT OF TAX OFFICERS.

STRINGENT SECURITY MEASURES WERE TAKEN TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE DATABASE RECORDS AND GUARD AGAINST THE IMPROPER DISCLOSURE OF TAXPAYERS' INFORMATION, HE SAID.

WITH THE ON-LINE ENQUIRY FACILITIES PROVIDED IN DECEMBER THIS YEAR AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM TWO YEARS LATER, ALL THE ISOLATED COMPUTER SYSTEMS WILL BE INTEGRATED AND SOME NEW APPLICATIONS WILL BE ADDED TO BUSINESS REGISTRATION AND PROF ITS TAX AREAS, HE SAID.

/16