Commerce launches new site

Commerce launches new site

Online service to cut waiting, costs

The Commerce Ministry has launched the MOC Online One-Stop Service, gathering 85 services covering new business registration, intellectual property, international and internal trade, earlier provided by nine agencies under the ministry, on one site.

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Friday the new service covers four areas comprising 22 services related to business registration; 11 services for intellectual property; 28 services related to international trade; and 24 services regarding internal trade issues.

The new online service was developed after the ministry consulted with all stakeholders, including farmers, manufacturers, exporters, service providers and general business operators.

It found all parties desperate for the ministry's assistance in reducing its regulatory processes and providing them with services.

Mr Jurin said the new online service means clients no longer need to visit a ministry office or provincial commercial office.

He said online processing reduces the duration of procedures, with some services taking only 10 minutes, down from the usual 1-2 days.

More importantly, Mr Jurin said the system provides key statistics, information and investment and business analysis services to interested people.

He said service facilitation is a key mission for the ministry this year, in alignment with the administration's e-government development plan.

The service improvement should also increase Thailand's competitiveness in the world market, said Mr Jurin.

Thosapone Dansuputra, director-general of the Business Development Department, said the new online system should save time and costs for clients.

The e-filing service alone can reduce costs by at least 300 million baht per year for users totalling 1.8 to 2 million people, said Mr Thosapone.

Over the past five years, Thailand has improved many areas in ease of doing business, including efforts to streamline the approval process to operate a business, adoption of digital systems for government services, updating rules and regulations in line with changes in the business environment, and initiating a host of infrastructure developments as well as the flagship Eastern Economic Corridor, he said.

Such efforts played a role in helping Thailand rise six places to 21 out of 190 countries in the 2020 rankings for the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business (EODB) index.

Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said earlier the government set an ambitious goal to improve the country's standing in the EODB ranking to the top 10 by 2022.

To reach that level, both public and private sectors need to work closer together, said Mr Supattanapong.

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