1. The Tax Administration deploys IT
The use of IT at the Finnish Tax Administration started with the deployment of the first punched card machines.
The development of digitalization in Tax Administration
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1947
The first punched card machines are deployed at the then Helsinki tax preparation office. -
1960
Five punched card machines are already in use across the country. -
1961
IBM 1401, the first computer, is deployed in Helsinki. -
1968
The operations of the Government tax board’s computer centres are transferred to the Finnish State Computer Centre. -
1970
The National Board of Taxes is established, and the hiring of design personnel restarts. -
1984
The Ministry of Finance makes a decision-in-principle, according to which taxation-related IT operation functions must be transferred back to the National Board of Taxes. -
1988
The National Board of Taxes launches the VTL project to build a new tax calculation system. -
1990
The completion of tax assessment for 1989 is delayed due to IT problems.
2. Laying the foundation for e-services
Thanks to the massive increase in IT adoption, the National Board of Taxes could collect information from different parties: employers, the Social Insurance Institution (KELA), pension and insurance institutions, and banks. This information no longer had to be collected from taxpayers – taxes could be implemented without bothering customers.
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1995
An experiment on the deployment of tax proposals is conducted, covering 12 locations and 358,000 taxpayers. -
1997
Apaja, the intranet of the National Board of Taxes, is deployed.
3. From paper to digital
Electronic services were first used to collect data from companies and organisations. In 2007, tax cards could be made online, and in 2008, tax returns could also be submitted in electronic format.
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1998
Vero.fi is opened. -
2001
The Business Information System (BIS) is deployed. Only one notification is required to be included in the Prepayment Register, Employer Register, VAT Register and Trade Register, and as being obligated to pay insurance contributions. -
2003
The digitisation of annual information returns in paper format starts. -
2004
The National Board of Taxes obligates companies of more than 40 people to use the Tyvi service. -
2005
Pre-completed tax returns are introduced. The National Board of Taxes builds the ilmoitin.fi service for companies. -
2006
Tunnistus.fi and Katso service – authentication and authorisation services for companies. Palkka.fi is opened. -
2007
As many as 200,000 tax cards are changed online during the first year of the Tax Card Online service. More than 90 per cent of annual information returns of companies are submitted in electronic format. -
2008
The Tax Return Online service is deployed. -
2009
BIS e-services -
2010
Tax Account Online is deployed. Paper documents are digitised for national electronic work queues. -
2012
E-filing of bank account numbers and the Tax Number service -
2013
Corporate income tax returns -
2014
Real estate tax returns. Online invoice and e-invoice. -
2015
The chat service channel is deployed.
4. Towards automated taxation
The National Board of Taxes set the automation of taxation its strategic objective in the early 1990s. The idea was that the taxation of individual taxpayers would be as automated as possible. As a result of the VALMIS project, the Tax Administration replaced more than 70 data systems with a single solution.
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2013
The Finnish Tax Administration decides to reform taxation data systems and replace more than 70 systems with a single off-the-shelf software solution. -
2016
The VALMIS project proceeds to the deployment phase. The MyTax e-service channel is deployed. -
2019
All tax systems are replaced by a single system. 2019 More than 80 per cent of those who add information to their tax returns do so online. The Incomes Register is deployed. -
2021
Application programming interfaces (API) are deployed.