IRD plan on access security

By RICHARD WOOD

The IRD is moving closer to public password access to its website ahead of a crucial State Services Commission report on the topic.

The IRD service will target the individual taxpayer and could be the largest Government online access system in New Zealand.

The IRD's online authorisation plans are part of an architecture design project due to be implemented by the middle of next year. It forms the basis for 52 projects the IRD has announced to develop online services over the next five years.

Meanwhile, the State Services Commission is yet to decide whether to recommend a single authorisation directory for access to all government departments online, or that each department maintain compatible directories. It will report back to the Government next year.

SSC e-government project head Brendon Boyle said the IRD was not jumping in ahead, as other authentication systems were already in place in various government departments.

But he acknowledged that the IRD's directory decisions were crucial, as they were a big part of e-government.

IRD plans to allow taxpayers to view their account information online by October next year.

Boyle said it was too early to tell whether a technology decision by the IRD would lead to a system covering the whole government. He said the commission would see how the IRD work fed into its project.

Boyle said the IRD's work was consistent with the SSC's own authentication policy framework.

Colin MacDonald, general manager (business development and systems), said the IRD was involved in developing SSC guidelines for authentication across government.

"Anything that we do will fit within that framework and those guidelines," he said.

Directory systems vendor Novell already has its software up and running at the IRD, where it is used for filing PAYE data involving 16,000 employers.