Taskforce predicts the year 2010

The Government's e-commerce taskforce is inviting comments on how businesses can prepare for the future, including the development of a risk and reward tax system to encourage entrepreneurs.

The report comes from Foresight, the Government's futures forecaster, which tries to predict how certain aspects of life will be in the next 20 years. The e-commerce Foresight team has produced a consultation paper 'Smoke in the water. Fire in the sky' where it predicts certain scenarios and invited comments from interested individuals and organisations.

The consultation paper includes six visionary snapshots of life in 2010 as it examines the long term impact of e-commerce on the way we live our lives and do business.

The report says: "The energised economy needs to support the development of skills and to connect them together through effective geographically-based clusters. The financial markets need to value entrepreneurship while the tax system needs to ensure that successful risk-takers are rewarded appropriately. Only a government which is fully immersed in the online world at all levels can understand it sufficiently as it evolves to act appropriately to enable its development."

Its publication is intended to mark the start of a UK-wide debate, which 'looks beyond current issues in electronic commerce - such as stock market flotations and 'dotcom' crashes - to identify the enormous changes that are beginning to emerge and for which businesses will need to prepare'.

Issues identified for debate include:

* The need for the UK to develop a 'confident society' by encouraging diversity, entrepreneurship, risk taking and openness.

* The development of a risk/reward tax system to encourage entrepreneurs

* A review of education and training to ensure that people can develop and maintain the digital skills they need throughout their lives.

Launching the debate, Tim Jones, chairman of the e-commerce task force said: "Foresight is about looking ahead and preparing for the future. The growth of e-commerce will affect every business, regardless of its size or sector. The business community already understands that internet businesses move at a faster pace. The internet enables entrepreneurs to rewrite the traditional rules within a framework that both reduces transaction costs and gives unprecedented access to customers.

"This report outlines our thinking to date on some of these important issues. We now want to hear your views. How will they affect the way you do business? What do we need to do to make sure that the UK is ready?"

The Foresight consultation on e-commerce continues until 15 September 2000 and is open to all. The results will contribute to the e-commerce task force's vision for the future and priorities for action, to be announced in November 2000.

The Foresight team comprises experts from business, industry, academia and the public sector.

The consultation paper on e-commerce (URN 00/684) is available in hard copy by sending a fax to the Foresight Directorate at 020 7215 6753.

Responses should be directed in the first instance to the Panel Secretariat: Catherine Worley or Russell Moss

Foresight Directorate, Office of Science & Technology,

Department of Trade & Industry, 1 Victoria Street

London, SW1H 0ET e-mail: catherine.worley@osct.dti.gov.uk russell.moss@osct.dti.gov.uk or via the Foresight website

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Susie Hughes