E-Government

E-Government is used to connect you to the government in a number of ways. Before E-Government citizens would interact with the government through elections for prime minister, this would be the only way citizens could make decisions within the government parliament. Citizens would then be able to experience government through their local council. Then the government quickly realised that you could communicate over the internet.

E-Government services

Voting

You are now able to vote online through E-Government. This makes it easier for people as a way of contacting the government and it is accessible for anyone to use, just by going online onto your government website. It allows people to vote without having to physically move and it can be a quick method to use. However physically voting can be useful for people who do not have access to the internet and also it is allows more of the public to vote.

Petitions

Petitions are used so that the government can listen to the problems which the public put forward to help make changes. The government have allowed citizens to post petitions where other people can sign them if they thoroughly agree to what is being said. A petition has to have over 500,000 people signing it within the given time period for the government to see it and start to solve the problems and discuss in parliament.

Car Tax

A recent way citizens have connected with E-Government is through paying taxes online. An example of this is now being able to pay for your road tax online. It used to consist of displaying your car tax discs inside the windscreen of your car to show police that your road tax had been paid. However now it is all done online and you do not need to display your tax disc and the police will already know if you have paid for your road tax. This new method can make it a lot easier for drivers as well as police because drivers do not have to wait for their road tax to come as it is now instant.

Businesses

E-Government can also connect to businesses in a way that they can license their business online, making it easier for the business as it is all online and no hassle for filling out masses of paper work. There is just a form that has to be filled in to notify the government about their financial state, this requires a fee, however it is much easier to pay and license online.

Local Council

Citizens can now read about their local council to know what is going on around them. Also you are able to do any local voting to help the council improve your local area and you can sign petitions which other people have suggested and this can help the council to improve the problems which most people are affected by. Another thing citizens can do within their local council online is being able to pay or appeal for parking fines. There are also employment opportunities advertised which can allow citizens to search for employment or even just more experience to gain extra skills.

Scopes of E-Government

The scopes of E-Government are that it provides citizens with a lot of help and information about their local council and it allows them to be involved with the government through voting and petitions. It can also be very convenient for people to be able to pay their taxes online and not needing to fill out any paper work, therefore saving time. Finally the government can save money as less money is needed to inform citizens any information as they can just find it online and download leaflets to print off.

Limitations of E-Government

Limitations of E-Government include that there is always the worry of entering personal details online and having most things electronically, resulting in people preferring to do it in person to avoid problems. Similarly there is the trouble of scamming websites where they try to make people believe that it is the actual website and people can believe this and give personal information out. Also E-Government is not accessible for people who do not have the internet and it some people prefer to find out information in person rather than online and therefore will not use the online website.

My Personal Experience

My own experience I have had with E-Government is very limited due to my age and not using this service yet. Despite that, I have used it to research about my provision licence and how I can apply for it when I reach the required age. When I do apply I am then going to go into research about the rules and regulations regarding the licence so that I fully understand what I need to do. I believe that in the future when my knowledge is wider about the government and council then I will begin to involve myself with E-Government a lot more.