GUJRAT: The Gujrat district council has launched computerisation of licence fee after collecting data of various professions and businesses from at least 117 rural union councils of the district; the digitalisation, they feel, will help identify exact amount of the tax to be recovered.

Claiming it is the first of its kind in Punjab, the council says the new computerised data system will ensure accuracy of record that could be checked and reconciled by anyone with the field staff, as the role of middle man in tax collection would be eliminated and the council’s own staff deliver computerised bills to traders concerned.

District Council Chairman Tanveer Kotla told Dawn that the data of potential taxpayers had been prepared after a four-month survey at the union council level. The data of 15,000 taxpayers from over 100 businesses, including shopkeepers, petrol pumps/gas stations, restaurants, banquet halls, residential colonies and commercial centres, had been gathered from across the district however more professions were yet to be registered as the survey continued.

“This type of recovery system will be the first of its kind and a role model for entire Punjab, which will make it easier to collect data in each union council and help the authority understand which area has more potential for growth of business,” Mr Kotla said, adding that now recovery would be made through Bank of Punjab’s authorised branches.

Mehmood Iqbal Gondal, the chief officer of district council, said: “This system will help identify the exact number of professions falling in the jurisdiction of Gujrat and in timely recovery of government dues.”

He added that previously it was not possible to ascertain whether the entire amount was being collected but through this system the department’s demand and amount recovered could be easily determined and verified from bank challans on daily scrolls since all bank branches would be directed to transfer the collection daily in general account of district council.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018