London (UK), April 2007 - Nelson Croom has been working in partnership with the EU-funded Leonardo DaVinci programme on developing standards for Developing Administration and Customer Service Skills in Local Taxation (DACSSIL Tax). The DACSSIL Tax online learning programme enables local taxation administrators across Europe to set up and develop systems and processes that will improve their administration and customer services skills.
The online learning programme is designed to develop standards and systems in a comprehensive range of areas. The course covers areas such as billing and collection, as well as principles and frameworks for enforcement, taxpayer relations, and communications. Internal processes such as human resources, information systems, performance measures, and professional ethics are also included.
"This has been a great project to work on", says Alan Nelson, Managing Director of Nelson Croom. "The IRRV, one of our biggest partners, introduced us to the project, and it has really helped us to learn about this sector and how it works both in the UK and in other countries," he continues.
"You might think that local taxation would be very different across Europe, but scratch the surface and you find that the issues are in fact really similar. The best thing about the project is that all parties - whether in the UK or in other partner countries, perhaps where their local taxation systems are not as developed - have learnt a lot from this experience", he concludes.
The course has been tailored with examples from the initial five launch partners: the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Romania. The project ends at the end of March. Future developments include translations of the course, and there are plans to produce a book to accompany the online course.
