Connect points into lines and string blocks into chains. In recent years, with the landing of more and more blockchain application scenarios, this new technical term is getting closer and closer to us. Blockchain has become an important role in the wave of smart cities. What are the unique tricks for blockchain to promote government reform and accelerate the construction of "digital government"? Please follow the Economic Daily reporter to Shenzhen to have a look.
Affected by the wave of digitalization, the use of cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, big data and cloud computing to promote innovation in management methods, management models and management concepts is making cities more and more intelligent and "smart". In recent years, blockchain technology has played an important role in promoting government reform and accelerating the construction of "digital government", and various localities have also begun to seek solutions from "blockchain" in government service innovation.
The "14 th Five-Year Plan" and the outline of the long-term goal in 2035 pointed out that "the blockchain service platform and application programs in the fields of financial technology, supply chain management and government services should be developed with the focus on alliance chains". From concept to application, from technological innovation to top-level design, blockchain is no longer inscrutable. So, what role does blockchain play in the wave of smart cities? What are the specific applications in government service innovation? What is the room for development? Recently, the Economic Daily reporter went to Shenzhen to find the answer from the specific application scenarios of blockchain landing.
Technology empowerment solves "pain points"
For a long time, problems such as taxpayers’ long queues, cumbersome tax procedures, duplication or long-term submission of tax-related information have long plagued tax authorities and taxpayers. How to solve the "pain point" through technology empowerment, improve the level of tax management, and provide more convenient services for taxpayers is a problem that all localities have been exploring.
As a new technical tool to improve social governance, blockchain technology has become increasingly prominent in recent years. "Blockchain technology is highly compatible with tax governance and has great application space in improving tax governance capabilities and service levels." Li Wei, deputy director of Shenzhen Taxation Bureau, said.
Shenzhen has made many beneficial explorations in tax science and technology innovation. In 2018, Shenzhen Taxation Bureau and Tencent jointly established the "Smart Tax" Innovation Laboratory, focusing on the solutions of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data and other technologies in tax management and electronic invoice application.
"We hope to rely on the new generation of information technology represented by artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data to promote the innovation and modernization of tax governance." Li Wei told reporters that the application of blockchain technology integration in the tax field can not only achieve the effect of improving management efficiency and optimizing information tax management, but also help the two-way flow of data production factors among government departments, thus breaking through data barriers and improving the efficiency of management services. In addition, the tax bureau’s capture of external economic data production factors and the supplement and integration of the relationship chain of tax data production factors are also helpful to upgrade tax informatization from system integration to social integration.
According to reports, taking advantage of the advantages of non-tampering and traceability of blockchain technology to meet the needs of tax applications, Shenzhen Taxation Bureau and Tencent Company opened the first practice of "blockchain+taxation" and took the lead in experiencing the technical dividend brought by blockchain. On August 10th, 2018, with the approval of State Taxation Administration of The People’s Republic of China, Shenzhen launched the blockchain electronic invoice system and issued the first blockchain electronic invoice in China. This is the first product hatched by the "Smart Tax" innovation laboratory, and it is also the first application research result of the "blockchain+invoice" ecosystem in China.
"Consumers can issue blockchain electronic invoices on WeChat after completing their accounts, and there is no need to manually enter information and no additional hardware support, which is very convenient." Dai Jianghua, the restaurant operation manager of Shenzhen Guomao Catering Co., Ltd., who issued the first blockchain electronic invoice in China, lamented. Blockchain technology makes it a reality to collect invoices online. Consumers click on the mobile phone WeChat to collect tickets, and the tax authorities can issue bills after reviewing them, which truly enables the masses to "go online more and travel less".
Li Maocai, the underlying technology provider of blockchain electronic invoice and the general manager of blockchain technology of Tencent, told the reporter that in the past, if consumers wanted to invoice, they had to provide the merchants with the personal name or unit ticket number of the invoice, and they had to wait in line for a long time when there were a large number of invoices. The blockchain electronic invoice solved this problem well and had the foundation for rapid promotion and application.
Compared with traditional invoices, blockchain electronic invoices have obvious advantages, which are not only convenient and quick to issue and receive, but also around the "capitalization of invoices and data", which links the whole process of invoice issuance, circulation, reimbursement and declaration, and each invoice can be checked, verified, credible, traceable and controllable, which solves the problems of one ticket over-reporting, false reporting and false verification in the process of invoice circulation, and reduces the financial management of ticket-using enterprises.
Nowadays, in Shenzhen, there is no need to "post invoices" for transportation and travel expenses reimbursement, and people can experience the quickness of "on-line invoicing" in all aspects of daily life: there is no need to "queue up" for dining out, and one-click application can be used to invoice; Shopping in the supermarket does not need to be "handwritten and invoiced by machine", and "transaction is invoiced" within 1 minute after payment … … Blockchain electronic invoices have brought tangible convenience to the masses.
More flowering benefits life.
Blockchain invoices have received widespread attention since they were launched, but is the actual promotion of this new technology smooth? What are the extensions of application fields and paths?
In the interview, the reporter learned that in December 2018, the Shenzhen blockchain electronic invoice system was connected with the WeChat payment platform, which opened the general entrance of blockchain electronic invoices. Relying on the high penetration rate of mobile payment, it quickly spread among many small and micro enterprises. At the same time, the application scenario of blockchain has also achieved more breakthroughs.
Transportation is one of the earliest areas of people’s livelihood services that introduced blockchain technology. On March 18, 2019, at the Futian Transportation Hub subway station in Shenzhen, after the passengers scanned the code and left the station, the blockchain electronic invoice was issued through the WeChat deduction record; Some taxis and airport bus 330 lines in Shenzhen have also been connected to blockchain electronic invoices, realizing the whole process of invoice issuance online.
"From the intuitive experience of users, blockchain electronic invoices do not need special equipment, and the whole process of mobile phone self-service operation, bill preservation is almost zero cost." Song Lingyun, general manager of Tencent Smart Transportation, said that this is not only convenient for passengers, but also greatly saves enterprise billing time, hardware and labor costs, and improves management and operation efficiency. "Take Shenzhen Metro as an example. After the blockchain electronic invoice is launched, it can realize online self-service invoicing of 170,000 people per day, saving 400,000 yuan per year only in invoice printing cost."
The transportation industry is not the only livelihood area covered by the blockchain electronic invoice system. In the survey, the reporter found that around the people’s livelihood concerns and the needs of the masses, the deepening application of electronic invoices in Shenzhen blockchain has given priority to industries related to food, clothing, housing and transportation, covering financial insurance, retailers, hotel catering, parking services, Internet services, transportation and many other fields within six months of its launch.
While expanding the application scenarios in the field of people’s livelihood, blockchain electronic invoices have gradually expanded from subway and catering scenes with relatively low billing rate and invoice denomination to home appliances and real estate scenes with high billing rate and denomination, and have been put into use in Aier Eye Hospital, Gome and Evergrande Real Estate. With the gradual increase of application scenarios, the blockchain electronic invoice function is also constantly improving.
"During the COVID-19 epidemic, we launched the blockchain electronic invoice ‘ Extreme edition ’ , realize the whole process from registration, ticket collection, invoicing to reimbursement online, and realize ‘ No contact ’ Handling, effectively solve the taxpayer’s difficulty in getting tickets, getting tickets and making out invoices ‘ Pain point ’ It will effectively boost the resumption of work and production. " Li Ronghui, director of the Department of Administration and Science and Technology Development of Shenzhen Taxation Bureau, told the reporter.
The data shows that by the end of 2020, the number of electronic invoices issued by the blockchain in Shenzhen reached 33 million, and the amount of invoices exceeded 39 billion yuan. The application scenarios covered more than 100 industries. In the past, the scene of "sea of people and crowded people" in the tax service halls in Shenzhen is gone forever. The blockchain electronic invoice project also won the gold medal in the "Mayor Quality Award" service category in Shenzhen in 2019, becoming a beautiful business card for the construction of smart cities in Shenzhen.
Effective improvement of management efficiency
The successful practice of blockchain electronic invoices shows the broad application space of blockchain technology in the fields of social governance and public services. How to further deepen the application of blockchain technology and make it serve the modernization of social governance more effectively has become a new direction for Shenzhen to explore.
The reporter learned that in the past, taxpayers could only get the insurance policy or electronic payment voucher on the spot after paying the vehicle and vessel tax, and the tax payment certificate had to wait for the insurance company or maritime safety administration to complete the tax collection and report before changing it in the tax hall. Now, log in to the WeChat applet "Tax Digital Wallet" and click the "Change Tax Payment Certificate" button to get the electronic version of the vehicle and vessel tax payment certificate in just a few minutes — — This is another innovative application of blockchain technology in the field of tax services after the introduction of blockchain electronic invoices in Shenzhen in the digital age.
"The application of blockchain technology not only solves the inconvenience of billing in the scene of collection and payment, but also ensures that the tax bill information is real-time, true and not tampered with. For the third party who needs to check the tax bill information, it can also ensure its real-time inspection." Li Wei said.
Shenzhen has also applied blockchain to more government management levels. On November 21, 2019, the "Shenzhen Four Departments Information Exchange Platform" jointly developed by Shenzhen Taxation Bureau, shenzhen public, Shenzhen Customs and Shenzhen Central Sub-branch of China People’s Bank was launched. The platform used blockchain technology to establish a query data list, and the information and intelligence data realized "on-chain interaction", which can automatically query, automatically compare and automatically process, which is helpful to promote the common maintenance and utilization of data among departments, jointly carry out monitoring analysis and early warning response, and enhance.
"In the past, we exchanged information with public security, housing construction and other departments and needed to run back and forth. Now we can share information with these departments through the new platform." The staff of the Personal Income Tax Department of Shenzhen Taxation Bureau introduced that in January 2020, Shenzhen launched a natural person information sharing intelligent platform, which relied on the "distributed real-time storage" function of blockchain technology to promote the integration of information resources among multiple departments and provide a more accurate, efficient and secure channel for information exchange.
Focusing on the construction of a wider information sharing platform, blockchain technology has accelerated the progress of cross-departmental cooperation in Shenzhen and promoted the efficiency of social governance. On May 9, 2020, Shenzhen Taxation Bureau signed a cooperation framework agreement with Tencent Group, Ping An Group, China Construction Group and Xinwangda Electronics Co., Ltd. to jointly create a "tax — Industry "alliance chain, through the use of cross-chain technology to open up the data channels of tax chain, financial chain and industrial chain, gives full play to the radiation role of all parties in the alliance chain in their respective fields, enables enterprises, financial institutions and tax authorities to share the information on the alliance chain, and realizes substantial and powerful cooperation among all parties in the alliance chain, thus reducing costs, improving cooperation efficiency, enabling enterprises in the chain to enjoy convenient, accurate, credible and one-stop comprehensive services, and better stimulating the vitality of the real economy.
"Take enterprises applying for financing loans in the alliance chain as an example. Enterprises can independently submit tax data and production and operation data to financial institutions for review through the alliance chain, which not only reduces the cost of multi-party collaboration, but also greatly shortens the loan approval time, and also reduces the risk of lending, achieving a win-win situation for all parties. " Li Wei is full of confidence in the application prospect of alliance chain.
The reporter learned that in the next step, Shenzhen will also open blockchain application scenarios to more government departments and commercial entities, and promote the existing experience to civil affairs, finance, finance, municipal supervision, industrial credit, human society, justice and other departments. Accelerate the improvement of rescue and exit channels for market entities and create a better business environment. (Economic Daily-China Economic Net reporter Yang Yangteng)