Transgenders to be part of tax collecting teams

KORAPUT: The Jeypore municipality in the district has decided to engage transgenders for collecting various taxes, including property tax and rents, from defaulters.
The decision was taken at the municipal council meeting on Saturday.
"It has been unanimously decided to employ trangenders, albeit on a trial basis, for the collection of the municipality's longstanding dues. They will accompany our tax collectors and will assist our staff in collecting the pending amounts," said Chakravarthy Singh Rathore, executive officer of the Jeypore municipality.
"Employed transgenders will be paid a salary for their services.However, the modalities of the payments have not yet been finalized," Rathore added.
A source at the municipality said a list of tax defaulters who owe several lakhs of rupees to the municipality has been prepared, and they will be the first target of the recovery team.
"Though we routinely issue notices to tax defaulters, most of them remain non-responsive," said a municipal staff.
The move appears to extract dues from defaulters by shaming them, rued many.