[Users] Fwd: More access to Net for disabled

[Cory McMahon]

Useful information is below:


----- Original Message -----

The Nation (Thailand)
Thursday, June 07, 2007

More access to Net for disabled

By Wichit Chaitrong

The Revenue Department has launched a Web accessibility programme, aimed
at helping disabled people to access its online services. 

Its new service meets the standards of the World Wide Web Consortium,
enabling blind, deaf and physically handicapped people to search and learn
more tax-related information from the department's website, 

www.rd.go.th.

"The department does not want to collect taxes from these people, but
everybody who earns income is required by the Revenue Code to pay taxes,"
said director-general Sanit Rangnoi.

The department is among very few state agencies providing accessibility
services. The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre is
another.

Thailand Association for the Blind representative Chatuphol Nutathong said
about 10 per cent of the association's members used screen-reader software
to access the Internet. The same software can be used as a tool to search
for information provided under Web accessibility.

He said state agencies such as the Prime Minister's Office should also
provide Web access because disabled people want to send their complaints
there. The Govern-ment Lottery Office, which allows handicapped people to
sell tickets, should also introduce it, he added.

Sanit said the new service had not cost the Revenue Department much money
and other state agencies had the capacity to provide it. "In the United
States, the law requires all state agencies to provide Web accessibility.
We [the Revenue Department] have done it before such a law exists in
Thailand," he said.

In another development, tax collections in May fell short of their target
by Bt7 billion, Sanit said. Collection of corporate income taxes were down
by about Bt5 billion because commercial banks had lower profits resulting
from the need to provide reserves against loans. Low import growth also
meant that collection of value-added tax was about Bt2 billion lower than
expected.

Tax collections are expected to improve in August as economic stimulus
measures are expected to be having a positive impact on growth by then, he
said.


http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/06/07/headlines/headlines_30036231.php

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