E-Commerce
E-Commerce
There are many efforts currently to promote electronic commerce in El Salvador. The Bureau on Electronic Commerce of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIESCO) and the Salvadoran Exporters Corporation (COEXPORT) are organizations specifically promoting the e-commerce initiative. Also, the Centrex program of the Central Reserve Bank is using its website to facilitate export related paperwork.
The legal framework surrounding electronic commerce is still in its infancy. Current tax legislation does not explicitly rule out electronic billing, but does require paper support of all transactions necessary for obtaining tax credits, which slightly imposes limitations on electronic commerce. The Commerce Code does not provide some of the guarantees necessary to ensure the validity of electronic transactions, particularly the lack of validity of transactions, which lack paper support. Legislation for banking does provide for the replacement of written signatures with reliable facsimiles, and guarantees the confidentiality of information used in transactions. Legislation for consumer protection has facilitated a more favorable environment for electronic commerce, with special attention on transparency and competition.
In the area of technology, limitations
exist in the areas of data encryption, national connectivity and human
resource training, which may constitute an obstacle for electronic commerce.
In the area of infrastructure, telecommunications have not yet reached
an sufficient level of maturity to permit generalized e-commerce.
In the economic arena, current levels of competition among suppliers of
connectivity services is an advantage; however, Salvadoran products are
not yet generally adapted to the potential and requirements of the types
of international markets influenced by e-commerce. Another limitation
can be found in terms of culture, specifically language, but also in terms
of prevailing business culture in El Salvador, in comparison to business
cultures in the digital world.
Source: Conectandonos al Futuro de El Salvador