Firms to pay for ID card checks

The government will charge businesses to verify ID card details, but pledges not to make it a "stealth tax"

Courtney: benefits will outweigh costs

The government confirmed last week that firms will have to pay if they want to use the national ID card system to carry out authentication checks – though exact charges have yet to be set.

Katherine Courtney, the civil servant in charge of the ID card scheme, said the Home Office had consulted with the private sector and was investigating a number of pricing options. These include licence fees and usage-based pricing, where firms would be charged each time they verify an identity against the national register.

Speaking exclusively to IT Week, Courtney said the exact pricing will depend on the final operating costs, but insisted that the government would not treat it as a money-making opportunity. “Obviously we are a non-profit-making organisation [and] it is in everybody’s best interest that people want to use the system.”

Courtney also argued that the benefits for firms using the system, such as the ability to secure high-value web transactions, would outweigh any potential costs.

However, Jeremy Beale of the CBI warned that any charge would have to be a “nominal fee” if the government wants to retain business support for the controversial scheme. “There are business benefits that could be realised from the technology, but they would be wiped out if the government sees this as a means to impose another tax,” he added.

Separately, Courtney confirmed the government will appoint an ID card commissioner to monitor the scheme’s progress and investigate complaints.