Kalabuargi City Corporation introduces EDC device for tax collection

The Kalaburagi City Corporation has introduced doorstep payment of taxes, whereby, municipal corporation employees visit houses and undertake a door-to-door collection of dues electronically and people are no longer required to visit the corporation office.

The Electronic Data Capture (EDC) device drastically reduces the time for collection of taxes with both generation of notices and collection of taxes being accomplished in two to three minutes.

Earlier, citizens had to queue up for hours outside banks and corporation offices to pay their dues.

"In the financial year 2018-19 a total of Rs16 crore was collected but after the introduction of an electronic payment mechanism, since April till now about 11.5 crores are already collected. We have a target of achieving a collection of 25 crores this year," said the Fouziya Tarannum, Commissioner, Kalaburagi City Corporation.

"It is a very good initiative by Corporation. We are no longer required to wait for hours in a queue outside the office for payment of taxes. Now they come and collect it themselves," said Hassan Durani, a tax-payer.

"When I first saw the corporation employees I was confused and wondered why they are here but after seeing the machines in their hand I came to know that they are for tax collection," said Vivek Patil, another taxpayer.

Apart from the doorstep collection of taxes, the corporation has also introduced online payment mode of taxes where people can login to the Corporation website and pay their dues.