Prizes and awards
The Citizenship Award has been given to the State Tax Administration Agency for the new service incorporated into the Tax Agency's mobile application to make requesting deferrals, consulting and paying debts more agile, quick and simple, without time restrictions, so that taxpayers can save time and travel when carrying out the most common procedures in the tax collection field.
Navigation within the new functionality has been designed to be comfortable and intuitive, while offering content in a concrete and simple manner. The new utility is added to other projects to expand complementary services to in-person assistance that have been launched recently, such as Integrated Digital Administrations (ADI), virtual assistance tools and reinforced telephone services.
In the Awards for Quality and Innovation in Public Management XIII Edition, management innovation modality, the Tax Agency has received the award for the 'DIVA' service of VAT refund to non-resident travelers in Spain for purchases made in Spain. our country.
For more information:
On 3 July 2018, the company Telefónica and the magazine Compromiso Empresarial selected the 10 best practices for transparency and good governance for 2017, in Spain and Latin America.
The Tax Agency and the companies attached to the Code of Good Tax Practices (CBPT) were distinguished for their voluntary publication of a tax transparency report, where the Tax Agency is provided with information covering a range of aspects, from explanations of presence in tax havens to more significant business transactions.
The 22nd General Assembly of the Intra-European Organisation of Tax Administrations (IOTA) took place on 26-27 June 2018 in Bratislava, Slovakia under the theme “The Impact of Digitalisation on the Transformation of Tax Administrations”.
The IOTA is an international non-profit organisation headquartered in Budapest whose mission is to provide a discussion forum on practical tax administration matters, promote cooperation between tax administrations in Europe and support their development in accordance with each of their individual needs. The IOTA currently has 44 members in Europe.
At the 22nd IOTA Assembly various technical sessions were held in which representatives of international organizations, tax administrations and the academic and business world participated. In parallel, an exhibition of 20 digital transformation projects was , both from the public and private sectors, with the aim of pooling the modernization and digitalization efforts made by different organizations. These projects were voted on by the 200+ participants at the Assembly to select the best project.
The tax Agency took part in the exhibit showcasing three digital wizards pertaining to the Value Added Tax field, specifically:
- The term calculator, developed within the framework of the new VAT management system based on Immediate Supply of Information (SII),
- The VAT taxable event reference and
- AVIVA, the VAT Virtual Wizard, which uses artificial intelligence
All of these projects were devised with a clear vocation to assist in the proper compliance of tax obligations, but also with the philosophy of bringing knowledge and legal security closer to the taxpayer.
Following the vote, the Tax Agency has emerged as the winner of the best digital solution displayed , receiving the sole prize from the IOTA Presidency.
The Professional Association of Governing Bodies for Information Technologies in the Public Administrations (ASTIC), in the 11th edition of its annual awards, has granted the ASTIC 2016 award for the organisation with greater ICT leadership to the National Agency for Tax Administration.
The award was collected by Alfonso Castro Martínez, Director of the IT Tax Department, who emphasised the team work within the entire organisation and briefly presented the new Immediate Supply of Information (SII) System that will allow the Tax Agency to obtain information on transactions through the electronic supply of invoicing records almost in real-time, which will represent a major upgrade to tax control. Julia Santos, the person responsible for the Public Sector for Spain from the company VMWare, one of the most significant technological companies worldwide, presented the award.
The National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) has granted quality accreditation to the Customs and Excise Laboratories of the Customs and Excise Department. from the State Tax Administration Agency for its work in creating and implementing a Quality Management System based on the International Standard ISO 17025. This standard establishes the (technical and organisational) requirements regarding technical responsibilities in testing and calibration laboratories. The official accreditation of a testing laboratory involves the recognition of its technical and organisational ability through regular examination of its processes (internal and external audits).
One of the most significant benefits of having a Quality management System is that it provides a guarantee, based on traceability and strict process control, that the results generated by the laboratories are technically valid. Furthermore, other no less significant advantages should also be noted, such as: it promotes the (external and internal) image of the laboratory and the organisation to that it belongs to, it favours user confidence, it helps detect weaknesses and establish corrective actions, it optimises the use of resources, it provides easier decision-making, it favours international recognition of results, it minimises risks, etc.
The quality accreditation process entails three fundamental phases: research, implementation and finally the application for accreditation to the competent organisation of each country. This process is long and laborious, even more so if one opts for "network accreditation" as the Customs and Foreign Trade Laboratories have done. Network accreditation means having a single accreditation for all Customs and Foreign Trade Laboratories, that is, the laboratories act as a single centre with different locations.
The Official State Gazette of 13 May 2016 published the Resolution of 11 April 2016, of the Delegation of the Government for the National Drug Plan, through which the White Cross of the National Order of Merit of the National Drug Plan was awarded to the crews of the Customs Surveillance special operations ships Petrel I and Fulmar.
The Customs Surveillance Service has always been characterised for its effectiveness in the fight against drug trafficking by land, sea and air. Its units constitute a worldwide example in the fight against drug trafficking. This constant and relentless determination in the fight against drug trafficking, led to the Assistant Management of Customs Surveillance to receive the Silver Medal of the National Drugs Plan in 1998.
However, if one group of Customs Surveillance civil servants is especially distinguished for its professionalism, its courage, risking their lives in every operation, its great effectiveness and spectacular actions in the fight against drug trafficking, this is the case of the Customs Surveillance Special Operations Crews.
The Customs Surveillance Special Operations ships, Petrel I, in service since 1995, and Fulmar, in service since 2006, constitute the spearhead in the fight against drug trafficking, a fight that has represented the seizure since 1995 of more than 100,000 kilograms of cocaine and of 73,000 kilograms of hash by these two Customs Surveillance vessels.
From the seizure of the Archangelos ship by the Special Operations Petrel I ship in January 1995 with 2,713 kilograms of cocaine, until the seizure of Coral I in January 2015 with 1,437 kilograms of cocaine, they have been 73 operations, most of them at sea, that decorate the record of these Ships, crewed by Customs Surveillance Special Operations civil servants, a benchmark for all their colleagues in the fight against illegal drug trade and smuggling.
In the Official State Gazette of Friday 31 January 2014 the resolution of INAP was published, through which the Awards for Quality in the Training for Employment of Public Administrations are granted.
In this edition the jury has awarded a prize to the AgenciaTributaria in the Educational Innovation category, for the formative actions carried out in the 2013 Continuous Training Plan, under the title of 'Training Pills in Spontania –videoconference-.' It is the second year in a row that the Tax Agency is granted this award.
The Ministry of Public Administrations of the Dominican Republic organises the Week of Quality in the Public Services every year, in which projects that have received national awards for quality in their respective countries or Ibero-American awards for quality are exhibited.
The 2014 edition was dedicated to the public services of Education, Health and the Simplification of Administrative Procedures.
In this last area, Luis Diez Mateo, Head of the Regional Customs and Tax Department. from the Canary Islands and Co-Director of the VEXCAN Working Group, presented the VEXCAN project (Tax Agency Award for Quality and Innovation, 2009 Edition).
The VEXCAN project has represented significant simplifications in the procedures that economic operators must perform for incoming and outgoing goods in Canary Islands. It also constitutes a relationship model between two Tax Administrations, the National Agency for Tax Administration and the Canary Islands Tax Administration, with different territorial scope, but whose procedures and responsibilities come together on the same facts: both Administrations control and tax the goods coming into Canary Islands, which caused duplicate procedures and controls, that seriously harmed the economic operators and originated inefficiencies in the operation of the Administration.
The Spanish Tax Agency received the Award for Quality in the Training for Employment of Public Administrations in its 2013 edition, in the city of Málaga.
The ceremony was held within the framework of the Conference on Innovation in the Administration, organised by INAP in collaboration with the City Council of Málaga in the headquarters of the city's Congress Hall (Palacio de Ferias y Congresos).
The National Agency for Tax Administration received the prize for Educational Innovation that was collected by José Antonio Bravo Calvo, Deputy Director of Human Resources and Juan Rico Martínez, Provincial Delegate of Málaga.
In December 2013, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, the Customs Surveillance of Galicia received the Silver Medal of the National Drugs Plan.
This award recognises the effort undertaken by the Customs Surveillance of Galicia in the fight against drug trafficking, 'in view of the merits of extraordinary relevance, the reiterated seizures of narcotics with broad and in-depth researches directed at dismantling the entire economic network of the main drug traffickers that operated in Galicia', as the award order reads.
Ana Mato, Minister of Health, delivered the medal to Lino Alonso, Manager of the Regional Customs Surveillance Area of the Regional Customs Unit. The act included the Director of the Customs Department, Pilar Jurado, and the Deputy Director of Customs Surveillance, Angel Delgado.
Fundación Valenciaport is an initiative of the Port Authority of Valencia that emerges as an instrument at the service of the projection of the Port Logistics Community of Valencia, constituting a centre for research, training and cooperation with criteria of excellence.
The Foundation gives out annual awards to recognise, support and boost best practices in terms of quality, environmental management, technological innovation, training and research.
In the fifth edition of the awards, in 2010, the Tax Agency received the Technological Innovation Award, for the longstanding collaboration between Customs and the Port Authority of Valencia, which goes back to the 1980s, and which covers a wide range of measures, from implementing the summary declaration to the recent development of the 'levante automatizado'.
Contact Center started in 2000 as the first magazine specialised in the sector of call and contact centres. Since then, it has become an essential reference for users and providers, both in terms of technology and services for contact centres
In October 2010, the magazine Contact Center recognised the quality of the Customer Service Centres at a ceremony attended by more than 200 sector professionals. This initiative was born with a view to award companies in the Public Administration, Banking, Insurance, Telecommunications and Industry, which have used contact centres as a high-value department for their organisations, and which strive to offer better customer care on a daily basis.
A jury considered nominations from each banking, insurance, industrial and public administration entity, and gave the Tax Agency the award for the 'Best Technological Platform for Citizen Care', in the category of technological development. Ignacio Miguel González García, Director of the Tax IT Department, collected the prize on behalf of the Agency.
During the 8th Meeting on Information Technologies for the Modernisation of the Public Administrations, held in Murcia in 2004, the awards from the 1st Edition of the TECNIMAP awards were granted, in which the Spanish Tax Agency won an award in the field of General State Administration, in the category of Electronic Services for citizens for the project: 'Early payment of the deduction for maternity established by the Personal Income Tax Law'.
Through the TECNIMAP awards the Ministry of Public Administrations recognised best practices of the Public Administrations with regard to Electronic Administration, that is, the application of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to the improvement of the provision of public services.
In the sixth edition of the Expansión.com Favourites awards, held in 2004, where 500 nominations were voted for - in the first phase - by 200,000 internet users, the Tax Agency received an award.
The final decision came down to a jury that gave the award to the Tax Agency, considering that 'The Tax Agency website is one of the best examples of the benefits of adopting Electronic Administration, for citizens and the State.' Via the Tax Agency portal, all taxpayers can manage their tax returns online. The website also has versions in all the official languages of the state, and in English for non-resident taxpayers.
Since 1988, the Computer World Honors programme in the USA has been recognising all people and entities that use technology to benefit society
Each year, the 100 members of the Program's Governing Board (representatives of leading companies and organisations in the information technology sector) put forward people or institutions whose achievements in the field of information technology promote positive changes in social, economic and educational areas.
In 2004, at the proposal of Microsoft, the Tax Agency was awarded in the financial category for the features of its websites, which allow taxpayers to deal with their taxes digitally.
The Users of the Year are annual awards from the Association of Internet Users, which have taken place since 1997. Their purpose is to recognise Spanish companies, administrations and people who, via their jobs, activities and projects, contributed to disseminating, using and developing the Information Society and the Internet in the previous year.
The Association Awards have a character of recognition and the award-winners are chosen both through the votes of Internet users and those issued by the Organising Committee of the Mundo Internet conference.
In 2003, the Tax Agency was given one of the three 'eEurope for eGovernment' awards by the European Commission, for its digital services on 'Information transfer to other Public Administrations regarding citizens' tax certificates' within the category 'Collaboration and digital public services between Public Administrations'.
The prizes –whose aim is to promote the development of public services online– were granted at the European eGovernment Conference that took place in July 2003, next to lake Como (Italy) where, in addition to the information cession project, the Spanish Tax Agency's 'Online Auctions' project was also presented.
The objective of the European eGovernment Awards is to highlight and promote good practices developed by Public Administrations of the European Union countries.
This award, in the category of Good Administrative Practices, was granted to the Spanish Tax Agency in 2001.
The Tax Agency received the Excellence Award for Information Technologies, awarded by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), for its online tax return filing system.
The organisation that grants the prize, which represents the international recognition of the best initiative in information technologies of public administrations in the world, considered that the Spanish Tax Agency uses the most advanced technologies to benefit the taxpayer, who, through the Internet, can access a wide variety of services from anywhere and at any time without the need for travelling, with the subsequent savings of costs and time by avoiding and simplifying procedures.
Furthermore, WITSA recognised the efficient use of the most modern technologies with the required levels of security and privacy. The filing of income tax returns online is carried out with a certificate issued by the National Mint (FNMT) - which acts as a certification body - which guarantees the total security of the system and the real implementation of a comprehensive model for providing citizen services, which constantly evolves to incorporate new services and expand those already in place.
Actualidad Económica, the prestigious publication on economy, grants awards every year to the 100 best websites with the aim of emphasising the innovative effort of companies in different productive and service sectors and to award prizes to those projects that manage to improve society's social and economic conditions. In the 2000 edition, the magazine included the Tax Agency website among the 100 best websites that year.
These awards, created in 1999 under the name Awards for Quality and Best Practices in the General State Administration, and open to all Public Administrations since 2006 under the new name, cover the following categories: Award for Excellence, 'Citizenship' Award for Good Practices in Public Services, and Award for Good Practices in Internal Management.
These Awards are created to recognise organisations that have particularly stood out by increasing the quality of their services through self-assessment procedures, and through different initiatives conducted by the Public Administration in terms of the quality of citizen services.
The following Tax Agency initiatives have received Best Practices Awards:
- The electronic filing of tax returns
- The streamlining of import and export customs procedures
- The appointment service and preparation of Income Tax returns in offices of the Tax Agency
- The Integration of Proposed Limits and Indices of Action (ILIPA) in the Tax Management Department of the Special Delegation of Andalucía, Ceuta and Melilla
- The Digital Forum of the Special Delegation of Cataluña
- The Comprehensive Assistance Department of the Special Delegation of Madrid
- The Tax Information Office for Immigrants in the Delegation of Lleida
- The Human Resources Panel
- The Quality Circle in the Delegation of Tarragona: permanent motivation
- The new central payment system for tax refunds
After already getting an honourable mention the previous year, the Tax Agency Delegation of Almería received the Quality Award in 2003.
In 2006, the following nominations of the Tax Agency received the Award for Good Practices in Internal Management:
- Training Committee of the Regional Customs and Excise Department from the Special Delegation of Catalonia
- Notifications Department of the Special Delegation of Madrid
In 2008, the winning nomination for the Citizenship award was put forward by the Tax Agency under the name 'Personal Income Tax return draft', and can be consulted at: