Vietnamese individuals and businesses will soon be able to pay their taxes online.

Thanks to a pilot program rolling out in three major cities this year, roughly 1.5 million taxpayers will be able to use the power of the internet to pay their taxes, reports Vietnam Investment Review.

Districts in Hanoi, Saigon and Da Nang will participate in a trial version of the program, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Finance. The move is aimed to improve tax management nationwide and limit direct contact between tax officials and the general public, according to Nguyen Dai Tri, deputy director of the General Department of Taxation.

Specifically, tax departments associated with the pilot program are launching services to facilitate online payment for automobile and motorbike registration, property transfers, property leasing and land-related fees for individual taxpayers. These measures will help to cut 23 different administrative procedures and improve Vietnam's business environment, the ministry believes.

In the initial program, individuals will have their tax declarations handled by trusted organizations – though VIR does not mention which organizations by name – and will be able to pay through online banking transactions.

According to the Ministry of Finance, 98% of enterprises in the pilot program registered to declare tax online as of October 2015, with 90% of those enterprises registering to pay tax online through commercial banks.

The online payment system is expected to go national beginning in 2017.

[Photo via Gawker]