State Secretary Gisela Splett: "We are testing innovations for digital communication and improving citizen service in five of the 65 tax offices. I am delighted that the tax office Öhringen was able to convince us with its application. Here we are jointly developing and testing the future of modern tax administration"
On the Tuesday after Easter, State Secretary Gisela Splett presented the tax office as the "Tax Office of the Future", or FiZ for short, at Öhringen. "We are testing innovations for digital communication and improving citizen service in five of the 65 tax offices. I am delighted that the tax office Öhringen was able to impress with its application. Here, we are jointly developing and testing the future of modern tax administration," said Gisela Splett. The State Secretary presented the priorities together with Chief Finance President Andrea Heck and Katja Konnerth, Head of the tax office.
"Citizens will benefit from significantly more service in the coming years," said Splett. This will be made possible by appointment scheduling, call-back and video conferencing systems as well as the expansion of digital case processing. "If cases are increasingly processed digitally, there will be more time to examine complicated issues. This benefits the tax authorities and is faster for citizens," emphasized Chief Finance President Andrea Heck.
This is why the existing ELSTER service offered by the tax office Öhringen is being significantly expanded. Every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment, citizens will be able to ask their questions about the software (such as authentication via ELSTER) at the ELSTER point in the Central Information Office. "We want to make citizens aware of the benefits of ELSTER and break down barriers," said Splett.
This offer is particularly interesting for citizens with entrepreneurial or freelance additional income. Since 01.01.2018, the electronic submission of so-called corporate tax returns, for example for VAT, trade tax and income surplus statements, has only been possible with authentication via ELSTER - your online tax office. The previous option of submitting such tax returns to the tax office in compressed form no longer applies.
The change also affects, for example, operators of photovoltaic systems and associations.
Citizens who have previously submitted their business tax returns in compressed form must therefore register at www.elster.de in order to submit their returns in an authenticated manner from 01.01.2018.
Öhringen is one of five tax offices in the country that are testing additional digitalization options. "The creativity and commitment of the employees here at Öhringen have made it possible for us to be one of five tax offices of the future. We are now looking forward to showing how tax administration can become more modern," said Katja Konnerth, head of the office.
The help pages at www.elster.de and the ELSTER hotline on 0800/5235055 are available at any time to answer questions about registration and the electronic submission of tax returns.
In addition, the tax office Öhringen has a ELSTER contact person who will be happy to help you with any questions or problems you may have. Further information on the contact details
Register with Extern: "ELSTER - Your online tax office" (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) and benefit from the advantages of the digital tax return!
Background "digital@bw"
Digitalization is a central focus of the state government's work. To this end, it has launched an investment offensive: around one billion euros will be invested in digitalization during this legislative period. In summer 2017, the first state-wide and cross-departmental digitalization strategy was presented at "digital@bw", which was created as a team effort by all ministries. Over the next two years, more than 70 very specific projects with a volume of over 300 million euros will be implemented in order to anchor Baden-Württemberg as a leading region for digital change in Europe. One of the focal points of "digital@bw" is Administration 4.0. With Extern: www.digital-bw.de (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), the state government has also launched a central online portal as a new showcase for digitalization