Local Government's Three Obstacles to Bringing Tax Online: Part Three

Part Three: Don't Want to Rock the Boat

Local governments like yours are working harder than ever these days—and often with small budgets and fewer employees. But that doesn’t mean that civic leaders can choose to provide fewer services. Rather, local governments are expected to provide consumer-style service with high levels of functionality. No excuses.

Benefits of Adding Digital Tax Administration Tools:

• Added convenience and flexibility for busy taxpayers
• Less hassle and fewer errors for harried staff
• Revenue boost through increased compliance
• Increased social-distancing via remote remittance
• Satisfied business community that feels supported

Click to read our quick-hits PDF. Share with your local government finance team, IT department, and other decision makers. 

However, when local governments are saddled with out-of-date, paper-based equipment and processes, civic employees simply can’t provide the kind of experience that today’s savvy taxpayers expect. But making the leap into digitization doesn’t have to be so intimidating. All you need is a smart partner who understands the challenges of local governments, what you’re up against, and how to answer common concerns.

Let’s take a look at the last of three top obstacles faced when local governments consider making the jump to an all-digital tax administration platform.

“We prefer our manual, paper-based methods of tax collection and are not interested in automation or digitization.”

There’s valuable in the familiar—even when the processes you’ve been using no longer serve your objectives. It’s important to acknowledge both potential and pessimism, whether the change is as small as a paint color or as significant as a new revenue-collection platform.

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt often emerge in the face of change, and the right partner will help you confront these very real stumbling blocks head on.

First, the case must be made within the municipality that digitization offers more long-term benefits than short-term challenges. Careful listening on behalf of the sales, implementation, and service teams can connect you with success stories, words of wisdom from leaders of municipalities like yours, and key statistics.

Maybe your decision-makers need to hear from finance directors, such as Quincy’s Linda Moore, on how a revenue-collection platform like Localgov resulted in real dollars through short-term rental regulation and management.

Or perhaps what you need are industry-wide statistics on how local governments are currently spending more than 20% of their IT budgets on cloud-computing solutions, a figure similar to corporate America’s investment.

How would your decision-makers react when they hear real quotes from business taxpayers about how municipalities that offer more convenient, online payment solutions are more attractive places in which to do business?

But more than words and stats, your team needs to know that they’ll have backup when there are bumps in the road during a significant transition from paper to digital. Localgov’s in-house development and implementation teams make sure that issues are anticipated and addressed, and customer support is available 24/7 for both local government employees and taxpayer users.

By offering taxpayers a convenient way to remit payments, municipalities can achieve a more consistent flow of revenue and use real-time data generated to make thoughtful and nimble plans with city funds and personnel.

— Muaz Othman
Senior Software Engineer

Are you ready for more timely collections, better compliance, and increased revenue?

Diagnose Your Dilemma

When it comes to making changes to your revenue-management technology, it’s important to look at what’s been holding your department back. Analyzing your challenges, whether they are actual or perceived roadblocks, can give guidance on how to most thoughtfully proceed.

Happy with status quo: Acknowledge that change can be emotionally challenging—particularly now when so much of the world has changed dramatically. However, refocus the discussion around the needs of your business community and how modernizing your revenue-collections tools helps these taxpayers.

With Localgov, you stand to gain a partner that’s truly focused on the needs of local governments. We listen closely to help you identify your community’s challenges and needs and curate solutions that carefully address them.

By combining an easy-to-use tax filing & payment tool with a comprehensive reporting and analytics engine, Localgov gives local governments more ways to manage cash flow, satisfy business taxpayers, and streamline operations. Learn more.

We’re eager to speak with you to learn more about your local government's needs and how Localgov can meet and exceed your expectations. Set up a call with our team of local-government experts. To schedule your appointment, click here.