Automated bridge fee payment system proves effective
Revenue collected from the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge international border checkpoint in Vientiane has increased after the government rolled out electronic barrier gates to collect fees from departing travellers earlier this year.
A senior customs official at the bridge Mr Khamsone Sisengchanh told local media on Friday that the automated fee payment system has proved positive in terms of narrowing loopholes and ensuring transparency in revenue collection for the government.
The customs officials recently issued a report to compare the effectiveness of the revenue collected before and after using the new system. For instance, in April this year the revenue collected from the checkpoint reached 3.18 billion kip, an increase of 10.9 percent compared to the same period last year.
Officials have said this is in the initial stage so the new system has not been fully ironed out as yet. Many people still don't understand the new system and so some problems have been encountered but officials are confident that the revenue collected from this checkpoint will keep increasing in the future once further improvements are made.
The border authorities accepted that corruption among officials will be better avoided under the new system partly because there is no cash involved in the transaction.
Since the payment of fees involved in passing through the checkpoint was made through a set of automated barrier gates starting on March 1, people are required to have their own electronic Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card which contains their personal information.
RFID cards are issued to holders of passports, border passes, and temporary border passes. To receive the card a person has to pay 75,000 kip as a guarantee. Cardholders have to recharge their card regularly to ensure they contain not less than the amount they have to pay for the exit or entrance.
However, a solution for tourists and occasional users still needs to be found. One traveller from Australia who often crosses the bridge said he could see that the electronic system was designed to ensure accountability.
However he said a system needs to be devised to avoid people having to queue for long periods of time to purchase a card in order to clear the border, because that might be their last memory of Laos.
In fact, the introduction of the RFID is part of the Customs Department's strategic plan to modernise the collection of fees at the border checkpoints to facilitate travellers and also close loopholes and ensure less revenue is misappropriated.
On August 1-2, the government's monthly meeting decided to set up a taskforce committee to inspect works at the border checkpoint in order to improve management and services provided to people crossing the border.
The move comes after the meeting found that there are several places to collect fees and complicated immigration procedures, creating difficulties for people and allowing the authorities to carry out their duties without transparency.
