PurposeThis paper has as its aim to analyse the evolution and current status of e‐government, trying to deduce a series of basic principles for its success.Design/methodology/approachA case study has served to achieve that aim, but prior to its presentation, a short review of the e‐government literature along with some facts and figures have made it possible to assess the situation of e‐government in various countries around the world, and more precisely in Spain.FindingsE‐government lays emphasis on technology; however, the internal processes through which public administrations (PP.AA) offer their services to citizens need careful reengineering.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough a case study like this one, in which the analysis of e‐government is restricted to the functioning of a tax administration body, may have limitations when it comes to generalising the conclusions drawn, the principles inferred from it can be easily extrapolated to the vast majority of PP.AA.Originality/valueSince, tax administration requires using a large amount of data, it is a key area in the application and study of e‐government. That is why a Spanish public organisation in charge of tax administration has been examined in this paper.