ANTI-CORRUPTION ACTION PLAN TO BE IMPLEMENTED

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Asia Foundation’s (AF) website Wednesday reported that it is partnering with the General Department of Taxation (GDT) in support of select activities from the Department's Anti-Corruption Action Plan. The AF through the USAID-funded Strengthening Transparency and Governance in Mongolia (STAGE) project is collaborating with various governmental agencies in their bid to reduce corruption and promote transparency. The partnership will advance the capacity within the taxation authority to provide more efficient and timely tax services and reduce bureaucracy. The GDT introduced the e-tax filing system in early 2014 and, as a result, all Mongolian tax payers are now able to submit tax reports, access tax history, and pay taxes online. This new e-tax system has the potential to increase efficiency and transparency within the taxation department, by reducing face-to-face interactions and bureaucratic red tape. Capacity-building is central to the success of this new system and focusing on the tax department staff will enhance effectiveness and increase the user base of this new system. The GDT and the AF will train 700 tax officials across the country to familiarize them with the new system and enable them to encourage citizens to start using the system. The partnership will also include organizing interaction sessions with the public to demonstrate and explain the new e-tax system to taxpayers.