A leading Irish business tech firm is playing a key role in improving the Mexican government's ability to collect taxation and run its custom and excise system. Yesterday, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, officially opened the Mexico City offices of Vision Consulting, based in Fairview, Dublin, during a five-day trade mission to Mexico.
The firm is working with Mexico's finance department to link the management and communications of its 700 separate operations: "This will cut out a lot of waste," said Vision partner Mr Des Mullarkey.
Vision has already played a key role in the Mexican government's efforts to cut the costs faced by legal and illegal Mexican immigrants in the US when they send money to their families.
They pay huge commissions to Western Union and other such wire transfer firms. Under the Mexican plan, remittances from immigrants would be sent home cheaply to local community banks. Vision Mexico's managing director, Mr Raul Medina-Mora, says the project will revolutionise Mexico's banking industry and offer credit history to millions of the poor.
The project is but one example of the Mexican President, Mr Vicente Fox's effort to "digitalise" the country. So far, Vision has designed the template to be used by the specially created State-owned bank, Bansefi, which will link up 2,000 community banks - akin to Irish credit unions. The Bansefi deal followed Vision's involvement with the Halifax Bank-owned UK subsidiary, IF.com.
