Microsoft signs agreements with two ministries in Lebanon

The agreements, with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy and Trade, are to develop an online tax service and to co-operate in public/private ICT initiatives respectively.

For the E-Taxation service, Microsoft has signed a Letter of Intent to work with the Ministry to establish a secure, fast and reliable online taxation system. E-Taxation will be the start of an e-services framework as part of the government's plans to deliver other public services in a collaborative online environment. This approach will provide the Ministry of Finance staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to further deploy, manage and operate the enterprise technologies required to fully e-enable the Ministry and provide better services for the Lebanese citizens and businesses alike.

Minister Fouad Al Siniora commented: "Very soon, and under this project, the ministry will be able to provide Lebanese citizens and businesses with an e-taxation system that allows them to submit and track their taxes with the government online. This means greater efficiency, speed and flexibility in the way we service the Lebanese community."

With the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Microsoft has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to commit to participate in the Ministry's national awareness campaigns and promote ICT public/private sector partnerships aimed at building ICT capacity for economic development. Microsoft will also cooperate on the frameworks needed for e-services and assistance in economic planning for the ICT sector, statistics and assessment.

Microsoft will also share similar experiences from countries where Microsoft had a similar contribution and will collaborate to scope the Ministry's needs in infrastructure, through an IT enablement of selected internal processes of the Ministry.

Minister Marwan Hamade said: "The ICT sector in Lebanon is set to play a vital role in building the Lebanese economy and the Ministry sees the sector as a must to be included in our economic planning. The Ministry welcomes every effort that can drive the sector forward and Microsoft has been at the forefront of these efforts."

Maggie Wilderotter, Senior Vice President, Public sector, Microsoft EMEA signed both agreements for Microsoft. She commented: "Governments all over the world realize that technology is a tool to achieve transparency and good governance. Microsoft is proud to be able to collaborate with the Lebanese government to achieve e-government and ICT development goals, and we remain committed to working with the public sector to create a healthy and growing ICT environment."