Villages Get Cool Tech

Megan Rexazin/Pixabay

Earlier, when technology was expensive and cumbersome, there was a big time lag between its urban and rural adoption. But with reducing hardware and software costs, and access to cheap high speed internet across the country, that old trend is now passé. 

That Sounds Good

Yes. Property tax collection in Andhra Pradesh villages are going online. And we are not talking about a pilot or a stage wise adoption. The state plans to scrap the manual system of tax collection altogether as soon as the system goes online. 

How Does It Work?

First up, all the data of 86 lakh property-tax-paying households in panchayat areas were synchronized with the app. 

Second, with the due dates and amount of taxes online and ready, the bill collector will simply have to enter the One-Time-Password (OTP) sent to the mobile number of the tax payer on his app. This process will take place when the taxman visits the tax payer in person. 

Third, the tax payer will get a digital receipt of the payment immediately after the amount is collected by the attending bill collector. All done. 

Sounds Like A Win-Win

It is. For the tax payer, it brings transparency, convenience and peace of mind. For the government, it ensures lossless collection of property tax and efficient planning of income vs. expenditures. 

Talking of expenses, panchayat minister Peddireddy quoted to the press, “While the finance commission grants will help the villages take up new developmental works, the property tax collections will make them self-sustain, at least to manage drinking water schemes, electricity and sanitation. Tax collection is very crucial to bring villages into clean mode.”

What Lies Ahead?

The state government could ask panchayat boards to go for a data based assessment of taxes, to bring more households into the tax net, as well as revise property taxes in line with the growing market value of properties.