Online services playing more important role in everyday activities

Demand is growing for internet-based resources that make it easier and more convenient to make travel reservations and file tax returns, writes Claire Shoesmith

Last week, we established some of the benefits that the internet can bring to companies that adopt it as an integral part of their strategy. Not only can it save them time and staff resources, but effective use of the internet can even save businesses money.

However, companies aren't the only ones to benefit from the dawn of the so-called internet age. Despite the release of a report earlier this month showing that the only EU country to have a poorer broadband infrastructure than the Republic is Greece, demand for online services in Ireland is growing.

In fact, according to a separate survey released this week, the Republic's citizens are global leaders in terms of booking and reserving tickets for flights online.

As many as 58 per cent of those with internet access book flights or make reservations online, compared with a global average of 21 per cent, according to the poll carried out by market research group, AC Nielsen.

Moreover, 93 per cent of Irish males and 89 per cent of females said that they have made a purchase on the internet, compared with the European average of 88 per cent of men and 82 per cent of women, the survey states.

If we're honest, using the internet to carry out tasks such as booking a flight from the comfort of your own home couldn't be easier. By logging on, clicking a few icons and printing out a simple reference number, providing you have a passport, you can be on your way to anywhere in the world with minimum effort.

One company to have benefited from this phenomenon is Budget Travel. According to Niamh Hayes, a spokeswoman for the Dublin-based travel agent, the number of holidays booked over the internet has increased by more than 1,000 per cent in the past 12 months.

"The growth has been phenomenal," she says, adding that by next year, the group estimates that more than a quarter of its bookings will be made online. "It has been an educational process for the whole industry and we have invested heavily in developing a system that people are confident and comfortable using."

Another group to have seen the benefit of the internet is the Revenue Commissioners. The benefits of the internet to businesses and individuals are huge, says Seán Cosgrave, strategy manager, the Revenue Commissioners' online service.

"The internet has revolutionised the business of filing tax returns," he says, adding that as well as saving time for individuals who are filing returns, the service also saves his staff time.

Almost a third of Revenue staff are now free to focus on compliance and non-compliance related activities rather than spending time manually checking through handwritten submissions.

The Revenue's internet service also speeds up the process, he says. While it takes on average 10 days to turn round handwritten forms, online submissions are acknowledged immediately.

Currently, 21 taxes can be dealt with online, and by May next year this will have increased to 22, with the introduction of a facility to make PAYE filings online.

According to Cosgrave, the Revenue's online business has grown dramatically. In 2002, 9 per cent of people who filed their tax returns on time did it via the internet.

By 2003, this had grown to 40 per cent, and last year, it had increased to 53 per cent.

So far this year, online filings are 40 per cent ahead of the same time last year, although Cosgrave points out that this may be because people have realised the ease of filing online and are therefore filing earlier than they did last year.

The deadline for internet entries is November 17th, compared with October 31st for traditional handwritten submissions.

Filing returns online is also more accurate, according to Cosgrave. In 2002, about 20 per cent of the handwritten filings had to be returned because of mistakes. This compares with only 6 per cent of online filings.

"The Revenue's online system won't let you make a mistake," says Cosgrave. "It tells you what you need to do and prompts you to go back if you forget to fill in a particular section. It makes it much easier for the individual and for us, we know what has come in is completely correct."

The Revenue's aim is to increase the range of services offered online and to make it speedier for the Revenue and the public. "It's a win-win situation for everyone," says Cosgrave.

By the end of 2007, the Revenue predicts that 98 per cent of vehicle registrations, 95 per cent of customs activity, 75 per cent of income tax returns and 85 per cent of corporation tax submissions will be filed online.

So, whether you like it or not, the internet is playing an increasingly important part in most of the activities that we carry out as part of our daily lives. Not only can we conduct our personal relationships and plan our holidays and leisure time online, but we can also file our tax returns and search for a new home.

You can't help but wondering how people actually got anything done in the past.