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Yesterday I received a pile of messages from very annoyed readers who had found themselves on the receiving end of a stream of email being spewed by the IRD's computer systems.

The department has admitted that cause of the problem was an infection with the Sobig.B virus, and one hapless Aardvark reader reports that he received dozens copies of virus-laden messages from the infected email system.

Given that the IRD has the right (nay, the obligation) to pry deeply into the financial affairs of taxpayers, surely we should be outraged that they would allow any of their computers to be operated in a manner that results in an infection by virus or trojan programs.

The news that they were hit by a virus comes as no surprise to me however, since during my numerous email exchanges with them, the IRD has insisted on sending me documents in MS Word format rather than as plaintext, and it would appear that their staff have not been made aware that proprietary MS formats are neither secure nor safe.

Surely there are few government departments who have a higher obligation to protect the information of those they deal with than the IRD and yesterday's fiasco makes a sorry joke of any assurances that have been, or will be, forthcoming in respect to client confidentiality.

Readers Say (updated irregularly) Should we trust the IRD?... - Bruce Not just NZ IRD... - Chris IRD Standards are slipping... - Stewbaby Lax IRD computer security... - Bob Have Your Say

Although we are assured that no taxpayer information was leaked as a result of yesterday's infection, how can we now be sure that there aren't other machines in the department's inventory which might perhaps infested with key-logging trojans or other malicious software? And how can we rest easy that the next infection won't compromise the security of taxpayer details?

When you or I file a tax return, we are required (under threat of severe financial penalty) to be meticulously careful and accurate. Surely this burden of responsibility is a two-way street and someone's backside should get a severe pasting over any security lapse on the part of the IRD.

And who would bear the cost of fixing damage caused when the IRD's computers start spewing virus-laden emails at unsuspecting taxpayers?

Lord knows the cost of complying with our tax laws are heavy enough without adding the expense of having your PC disinfected due to lax standards at the IRD.

As a taxpayer who was told several years ago by an IRD employee that "we'll get you" and has been subjected to a huge amount of crap and expense ever since, I think it's time the tables were turned and the taxman was held to account over this lapse. (For those interested, the full story of my grief with the IRD, including the name of the employee who made the threat, will be documented in a book that should hit the shelves sometime next year.)

But this is just my opinion and, as I've openly declared, I find it difficult to be objective in this matter -- so I'll try and restore some balance to today's column by asking readers to voice their own opinions.

Should we expect the IRD to do better? Are their procedures and Net-operating practices adequate?

Is it fair that they demand higher standards of perfection from taxpayers than they are prepared to deliver in return?

Are you still happy to entrust the department with your private and/or commercially sensitive financial details in light of yesterday's events?

All feedback welcomed, anonymity preserved if requested. Don't forget to select "For Publication" if you want to share those comments with Aardvark's readers.

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