La Laguna is giving its tax system a much-needed technological overhaul, with the town council introducing new software designed to make dealing with municipal taxes considerably easier.
The idea is simple enough. Residents will be able to check their tax obligations, deal with outstanding payments and manage certain procedures online without having to make a trip to the town hall.
The project has a total budget of €2,756,127, including €1.2 million in funding from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Less paperwork, fewer trips to the town hall
The new system will introduce a range of electronic services, including online debt enquiries, payment options and electronic payment arrangements.
It should also make it easier for residents to keep track of their tax affairs while speeding up the council’s response times.
Paqui Rivero, La Laguna’s councillor responsible for finance, said the digital transformation is an important step towards creating a more efficient, transparent and sustainable local administration.
The current tax management system is considered outdated, making it harder for council staff to deal efficiently with the volume of work involved.
A new system for a very large workload
The new software is expected to improve staff productivity, reduce manual errors and make it easier to manage large amounts of information, including tax rolls and collections.
It will also allow procedures to be handled electronically from start to finish, with information available in a more consistent and accessible format.
That should improve legal security and reduce the risk of errors or problems caused by manual processing.
The project is expected to run for five years, with the EU funding providing an important contribution towards the council’s wider digitalisation plans.
For residents, the main benefit should be fairly straightforward. More things can be done online, fewer forms need to be shuffled around and, hopefully, fewer reasons to queue at the town hall.
Not exactly the most exciting technological revolution, perhaps, but one that could make everyday life a little easier.