Many incentives are offered to citizens who actively participate in the digital environment.

On January 13th, the Ministry of Justice organized an independent review council to assess the draft Government Resolution on the development of digital citizens.

Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tu presided over the appraisal council.

Develop and implement a "digital citizen scoring system".

The draft resolution proposes a mechanism to recognize the level of active participation of citizens in the digital environment, linked to practical incentives. Based on the level of active development of digital skills, participation in public services, and other digital transactions, citizens will benefit from additional tax and fee exemptions and reductions, such as 100% exemption of fees and charges for basic, essential administrative procedures related to personal rights or high-frequency administrative procedures; and a minimum 50% reduction of fees and charges for complex administrative procedures requiring high management costs.

The draft also stipulates the development and implementation of a "Digital Citizenship Score System" linked to population data and electronic identities. Scores are calculated based on data updates, frequency of digital service usage, and contributions to the digital community. The score is linked to benefits and incentives related to taxes, fees, services, administrative procedures, and social welfare.

The VNeID application is oriented towards providing utilities that best serve the interests of citizens, including: providing a "national e-wallet" and digital payment services; providing secure "personal digital signatures" (signing digitally using the VNeID national identification application); providing a personal data repository; providing an official "email address" for each citizen; developing a "social network"...

Ensuring compliance with and strict adherence to the Constitution and laws.

During the review, the Council members highly appreciated the necessity of issuing a Government Resolution on the development of digital citizenship to promote the development of digital citizenship, protect the rights and enhance the digital capabilities of citizens in the digital age.

However, Ms. Mai Thi Thanh Binh, representing the Ministry of Science and Technology, noted that careful consideration is needed regarding the use of the phrase "ranking and classifying citizens" to ensure its appropriateness, absolute compliance with the Constitution and laws, and the protection of human rights and civil rights. The criteria should be reviewed to ensure feasibility and fairness among different groups based on age, education level, and socio-economic conditions. Furthermore, the content on digital signatures and digital citizens in the draft resolution should be reviewed and ensured to be consistent with the Law on Digital Transformation and the Law on Electronic Transactions.

Regarding the Digital Citizen Scoring System, a representative from the Department of Legal Document Review and Management, Ministry of Justice, stated that regulations on digital citizen scoring could create psychological barriers and have certain negative impacts. Therefore, consideration should be given to only establishing general regulations on basic citizen participation in public services.

Some argue that dividing "digital citizens" into "active," "basic," and "general" groups to enjoy different levels of privileges could also lead to inequality. Technologically savvy individuals would have an advantage over others, even in the public sector. Therefore, adjustments are needed to ensure a balance between enjoying rights and fulfilling obligations, providing citizens with the necessary tools and legal framework to live and work safely and effectively in the digital age.

At the assessment meeting, Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tu emphasized the need to clarify the concept of "digital citizen," avoiding overlap with existing definitions; reviewing regulations on citizens' obligations to ensure they are appropriate and encourage, rather than mandate, digital citizenship. Along with that, a clear and specific basis is needed for classifying and scoring digital citizens to avoid negative impacts; considering the responsibilities of relevant agencies and organizations, especially the role of the Ministry of Justice in reviewing and proposing amendments to legal documents; and expanding the people's right to supervise information systems using public investment.

The Council unanimously agreed that drafting the resolution is necessary to create a mechanism to encourage the development of digital citizens and promote digital transformation in activities, especially in the operations of state agencies. However, the lead agency needs to further clarify the legal basis of this policy. Regarding the scope of regulation and preferential policies, a thorough review is needed to avoid overlapping regulations or deep interference in areas already regulated by specialized laws, especially preferential policies on taxes, fees, and charges.

Regarding tax reduction policies, careful consideration is needed regarding feasibility, practical impact, and the tax system's implementation capacity, as this is a complex technical and administrative issue. Furthermore, for online public services, a clear distinction must be made between mandatory public services and regular e-commerce services; avoiding policy designs that restrict citizens' access to services or create unnecessary discrimination.

ANH PHUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhieu-uu-dai-danh-cho-cong-dan-tich-cuc-tham-gia-moi-truong-so-post833275.html