[ILUG] Linux in Irish Business, tux -v- revenue commissioners.

[Harry Duncan]

Hi Guys,

I very happily use linux for my business desktop use. Doesn't cause me
any problems, got my office suite, got my online banking, got my
email, got all forms of web browsing, got my mobile phone syncd, got
my calendar, all runs native on my debian box.

This year saw the phasing out of paper tax filings by the revenue
commissioners, all tax documents must be filed online through ROS.
Didn't cause me much problems, I have that stuff mostly outsourced, it
became an SEP.

My own income tax is a different story, I do that myself, and again,
to file through ROS, I had to use a windows computer, because even
though the service is web based, and even though its security system
is implemented in a cross platform technology such as java, it cannot
be accessed from linux because the ROS digital certificate library is
only windows and mac compatible. So I have to dig up a windows
workstation for this. Then they communicate back to me months later,
through ros, and I have to find that same windows workstation to log
back in from.

I know I could have paper filed my income tax return, but this isn't
the case for everybody, see
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/form11-2010-notes.pdf
some income tax returns are maditory e-files through ROS, and all
business returns are manditory through ROS.

I know there are about a million and one workarounds for getting this
working on linux, vmware, internet explorer on wine - if it works,
outsourcing to an accountant who runs windows, but hey, for something
like this, a government service, I shouldn't have to use workarounds,
I should be able to paperfile, or they should support my OS. It's
called social inclusion isn't it?

Does anybody know if I am correct in saying that Government online
services _must_ be legally socially inclusive?

I'd like to start a process going where I can legally put pressure on
Gov to either bring back paper filing or make their online services
linux compatibile on the basis of social inclusion. I know they won't
want to go back on the paper route.

Any thoughts??

Harry.