SL company registrations via online
View(s):Sri Lanka’s company registration process is going online through a new web-based platform for the Department of Registrar of Companies, a senior official said.
The advanced system is aimed at saving entrepreneurs or their representatives the trouble of having to visit the state company registrar office in Colombo in person to hand over duly filled registration forms and make payments or to file their returns annual reports and other relevant documents, said Registrar General of Companies D.N.R. Siriwardena.
He noted that entrepreneurs based in the outstations especially in rural areas will be able to register their companies and make payments online without coming to Colombo. This will reduce the paper work and expedite the company registration process, he said, adding that entrepreneurs will have to simply fill the details of their companies online or via SMS and make payment using their credit or debit cards
The agreement to develop software and web based platform will be signed July 1 with EW Information Systems Ltd. It would help businessmen in registering new companies from the comfort of their offices or homes, he revealed. The total cost of the project will be in the region of Rs.140 million, he disclosed.
The department will introduce this electronic document management system and a dedicated call centre for customers to reduce the time for registration and filing of statutory information and to improve the data quality for both the government and the public, Mr. Siriwardena told the Business Times.
m can handle the total company registration process through online payments and can also issue certified copies online, he revealed.
Meanwhile Mr. Siriwardena said that several companies have failed to file their returns on time.
“We have initiated plans to penalise such firms and necessary measures will be implemented in due course after sending reminders to them soon,” he added.
He disclosed that 2493 new firms have been registered during January to May 2013 earning Rs 157.89 million in revenue from all types of company registrations for the department.
During the same period last year the number of registrations was 3071 and the revenue Rs. 95.12 million.
Mr. Siriwardena noted that the increase in revenue in the past first five months of this year was due to the increase in registration fees in the 2013 budget to Rs.20,000 from Rs. 15,000.
However the number of new firms has come down slightly by 18.82 per cent, he revealed.
The launch of the platform comes after the 2013 World Bank’s well respected ‘Ease of Doing Business Index (covering 185 economies)’ showed a marked improvement as far as Sri Lanka is concerned with the country up to 81st position from 96th.
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