The government yesterday signed an agreement with Wing (Cambodia) aimed at leveraging the company’s mobile money platform and extensive nationwide network of agents to facilitate the collection of tax payments.

Chou Kimleng, secretary of state with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said that following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and Wing, taxpayers would soon be able visit any Wing agent to pay their property or vehicle tax. He said the new arrangement would ingrain tax payment into mainstream culture while increasing the transparency and efficiency of revenue collection.

“Wing’s service will provide convenience and satisfaction to taxpayers,” he said.Wing chief executive Jojo Malolos said the new tax collection service would be rolled out in the coming months, starting with 60 Wing Cash Express agents in key districts before becoming available at more than 3,600 outlets nationwide.

“Now customers, especially those in the far rural areas, don’t need to physically go to the tax office and line up, which can be a time-consuming task,” he said. “More importantly, this [service] is free of charge to all taxpayers and the posting of their transactions is in real time.”

The government has increasingly outsourced payment collection in a bid to lighten the workload on tax department offices, reduce corruption and make payment more convenient for taxpayers. In June 2012, it designated Canadia Bank as a representative to handle some tax payments. Acleda Bank became a designated representative in May 2014.

Malolos said the government’s decision to appoint Wing to assist in tax collection would increase financial inclusion and bring payment points closer to those living in remote areas beyond the reach of tax department offices and commercial banks.

“This partnership is a long-term commitment to promote economic growth in the country, where Wing plays a key intermediary role to bridge informal financial transactions to formal ones,” he said.