Lonato Tax Service Upgrades and Staff Expansion Enhance Revenue Management
The tax service of the Comune di Lonato has been enhanced and improved. This was announced by the assessor for Budget and Assets, Roberto Baruffolo, who managed to increase the staff precisely to develop this important service for taxpayers.
Updates to the Tax Service
“This will allow us,” says Baruffolo, “to have greater accuracy in revenue forecasts, current management of taxes, and final assessments with respect to citizens. But the biggest innovation is that we have eliminated the external management of the service, which cost us 70 million lire per year: our tax office will now directly handle the opening of accounts, the management of periodic situations, collections, and tax assessments.”
Furthermore, the Municipality will also save on waste tax operations: there will no longer be an external collector, but collections will be handled directly, allowing savings both for the citizens and for the Municipality.
Agreements with the Ministry of Finance
Meanwhile, – explains assessor Baruffolo again – an agreement has been reached with the Ministry of Finance. The Municipality has obtained lists of cadastral incomes for properties registered or yet to be registered, totaling approximately 3,600 properties.
The Municipality has determined the rental values for unregistered buildings, validated them with the Ministry, and then sent these assessed rents to the property owners. During 2000, ICI assessments continued for buildable land, which likely involved evasion, considering the interpretative difficulties that arose in the initial period of applying the zoning plan.
Staffing Increase and Reception Spaces
Regarding staffing, one employee has been hired, with additional hires expected in 2001. The office will also have dedicated space where meetings between citizens and municipal officials can take place, which previously had to be held at the counter, raising potential confidentiality issues.
“A room has been identified on the ground floor adjacent to the current tax office,” states Baruffolo, “which will be available shortly.”