More and more residents of Finland are handling tax matters online, according to new figures from the tax office which show a sharp decline in the numbers of visits to tax offices.
In 2014 some one million visits were recorded. That fell to 900,000 in 2015 and in 2016 there were around 780,000 visits to tax offices.
Instead of traipsing to their premises, taxpayers are increasingly using online and telephone-based services. The agency also offers an online chat service.
"The number of customers at tax offices has dropped, but it's clear to us that there are certain things that customers still prefer to handle face to face," said Merja Kangas, a deputy director at the Tax Administration.
The shift online shows no sign of abating, however, and tax offices will be redesigned later this year to quicken the pace of change.
They will in future include more self-service points, where customers can sign in and use online services. Staff will also be assigned to help customers get to grips with the technology.