The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken the help of members from the transgender community to collect holding tax from defaulters.
Swikruti, a transgender self-help group, began the collection of holding tax with the tagline ‘Tax dijiye, dua lijiye’ (Give tax and take blessings).
The BMC has set a target of collecting tax to the tune of ₹11 crore from major defaulters and members from Swikruti will earn 1% of the collected tax amount. On Friday, the first day of the initiative, members collected a total outstanding holding tax amount of ₹66,264.
“By engaging the transgender community in tax collection, we want to create a source of income for the community,” said BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.
Members from Swikruti were issued identity cards and proper uniforms for the collection of pending taxes in Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s the largest urban local body.
“At a time when members of the transgender community are not getting their share of employment in most organisations, the BMC’s new initiative would help open new avenues for us. We are hopeful of collecting the pending tax and filling the coffers of the BMC,’’ said Meghna Sahu, president, Swikruti.
