The gov.mt portal reported no fewer than eight million hits in July alone and transactions have more than doubled in the space of two months. Statistics obtained by The Times from the ministry show that the public was clearly willing to use online government services. Forty-eight per cent of all transactions emanate from overseas, with the portal being accessed primarily from the US, followed by the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada. Surprisingly, transactions from China and South Korea both exceeded the 1,000 mark in July.
The most popular website is the one pertaining to the Ministry for Social Policy with 42 per cent of all transactions.
Transaction figures refer to those users who actually download a form or interact with a government department while hits only refer to the number of times a particular website or portal is accessed.
A spokesman for the ministry said the most popular items downloaded were tax documents, fringe benefits guidelines and FS5 and children's allowance forms.
There was a strong take-up of birth certificates and other public registry items among emigrants.
The government is aiming to have 90 per cent of all its services available online within a few months.
Car licence and passport renewals, and VAT and inland revenue returns are among the online services to be ushered in.
IT Minister Austin Gatt explained that internet business gives the government the possibility to redeploy people onto core jobs while also enabling the government to save up on a lot of transaction expenses.
He said that for example, where cash transactions are involved, the government may save up on the process of receipt-issuing, checking and counter-checking.
Dr Gatt said that having easy and convenient online access to government services at all times also means saving time and money for businesses.
As an example, he added, through the eLicences internet service, small businesses need no longer waste precious time queuing at offices to pay licence renewals but may instead carry all transactions from the comfort of their home, he said.
Quelle: Times of Malta
