The public often complained about the hurdles involved in completing key transactions at the various public sector administrations, and specifically at some departments of the Lebanese Ministry of Finance MOF.
•Help desks were rare, and citizens were faced with the lack of simple, reliable, and readily available sources of information that would help them successfully conduct key transactions at the various public administrations.
Such information includes documents required (pre-required legal documents), submittal process (address, location, office, etc.), time needed for completion, authorized signatures, fees as specified by regulations, etc.
•Complex tax laws, regulations and procedures, which often change and leave room for tax inspectors to always find mistakes and penalise the taxpayer;
•A general perception that the fiscal administration intends to get as much money out of the taxpayer as possible instead of providing proper advice (the negative public perception is based partly on personal experience and partly on impressions gathered from the social environment and the mass media): tax payers are therefore “afraid” of MOF and avoid contact, even to ask information;
•Some staff and middlemen still applying corrupt practices.
MOF wishes to expand its communication efforts in order to acquire the public's support to its policies and reform projects and in order to change the negative public's perception of the fiscal administration and reduce the gap between the two parties.
In fact, despite the modernization efforts, the lack of proper communication is participating in the prolongation of the deeply rooted mistrust in the administration and lack of confidence in its problem solving capacity. Providing citizens with useful and transparent information and tips on ways of fulfilling their transactions at MOF, and thus empowering them, will largely contribute in restoring their trust in the fiscal administration and will encourage them to practice their citizenship and comply by the rules.
As the Ministry’s training and communication agency, the Institute of Finance IOF is committed to assisting MOF in devising and implementing an effective communication and public awareness strategy to support the reforms undergone and to improve MOF internal and external communication capabilities.
As part of its role as the change agent at the Lebanese MOF, and concurrent with the effort of MOF to improve service to citizens and promote an environment of transparency, IOF engaged in an ambitious project: the production and distribution of a series of Citizen Guides. It hoped to play a major role in promoting ethical conduct and a culture of transparency at the Ministry’s various departments.
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