Swedes lead online government tasks

STOCKHOLM -- About half of all people in Sweden use electronic government services, according to the government here, making them among the world’s most frequent users. The comparable figure in the United States is 35 percent. One of the most popular online civil services among Swedes is a “jobs wanted” site operated by the Labor Ministry. Even private employment firms tap into the data on the site. Other services support the daily lives of Swedish citizens. They can complete and file their income tax returns online. Documents required for the process, such as deposit balance files, loan documents, or files that prove whether they own certain assets, such as automobiles, can be accessed and issued via the Internet, saving time and costs. About 800,000 Swedes reported their incomes through the electronic government system last year, according to Nills Qwerlin, a director of the electronic government technology division at the Swedish government. People can research used cars online prior to buying them by typing in their registration numbers. They can even change ownership, register new cars and apply for insurance. The Swedish government does not outlay budgets for e-government projects at the national level. According to Lars Dahlberg, who is in charge of the electronic government division, pooling and administering budgets are the responsibilities of each individual agency. The Swedish government, meanwhile, focuses on how efficiently one-stop services can be provided online, Mr. Dahlberg said. by Choi Ji-young