Who would have thought that a government institution would be an early adopter of Flex and AIR?

Certainly not many people, and I am one of those pleasantly surprised by the news that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) had done just that!

It’s not everyday that you find the public sector out-pacing the private sector in new technology adoption (well, Flex has been around for a good number of years, so it’s not really that new).

I first learned of SARS’s foray into the Adobe Rich Internet Application (RIA) space when I registered for e-filing on www.sarsefiling.co.za . The e-filing website could use some improvement and I’m confident that it will come in time. Just like private sector banks, SARS has truly grasped the internet’s value proposition and I find that I highly commendable.

In an effort to foster more efficient tax controls, SARS developed two distributed desktop applications for tax practitioners and employers. A third package for individual taxpayers is in the works. The brand name for the suite of applications is equally catchy – e@syFile.

Their efforts went so far as having the e@syFile suite as finalist in both the North American and European Adobe Max awards at the end of 2008! Now that’s what I call palpable success.

To SARS I say:

Thank you and well done!

You have paved the way for adoption of the most exciting technology to come around in ages and I hope the private sector and other government organisations learn from your successes.

I wonder how many other SA organisations are seriously using Flex and AIR in their enterprise application environments. Does anyone know?

I know that there is a heavy-hitter of a stock analysis flex/php/mysql solution doing its thing in Nigeria. It was built for Customs Street Advisors, Lagos by the wizards at Saven Technologies.

While on the subject of tax, here's an interesting fact:

  According to legend, the term "Peeping Tom" was coined from a tax-related matter.

  It is said that Lady Godiva rode naked through Coventry in order to persuade her
  husband not to tax the townspeople so heavily; the only person to look at her as
  she rode by was a man named Tom and Peeping Tom has become a synonym for voyeur.

  (circa 1040-1080)