New for the 2001 filing season, the IRS is offering Self-Select PINs and an expanded direct debit payment option. Release 8.0 is expected for the spring of 2001 and is the last in a series of modernization updates to the system. The biggest challenges to adoption are security and privacy. If government can convince citizens that it has successfully safeguarded the privacy and the security of the citizens' private information, adoption rates will be strong. Some citizens are even willing to pay a small premium for the privilege of completing government transactions online.
Business owners welcome the ability to perform government transactions online.
They would prefer to be able to search federal or municipal court records, obtain or renew a professional license, access one-stop shopping for a new business, access criminal history background checks, and apply for a business permit. At the State of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Web site, you can apply for and renew license plates, buy a vanity plate, apply for a driver's license, register a vehicle, and more. There are services for dealers, commercial drivers, and insurance companies as well. In Singapore, e-government excels. At the government website, a Singapore resident can record a birth or death, apply for marriage permits, look for a job, check on a doctor or other health service provider, buy property, attend school, and retire.