Municipalities now have at their disposal new and innovative technological tools, as well as flexible mechanisms, that enable them to boost their revenues and manage their financial obligations more effectively. Given that the uncollected debts of local governments exceed 300 million euros, it is necessary to develop a new collection culture, beyond the traditional practices of financial services, which often face staffing and know-how problems.
In this context, the companies Qualco and “Lever – Development Consultants SA”, a member of the “Samaras & Associates” Group, organized an information event on the topic “The contribution of technology to boosting municipal revenues”. There – in the presence of mayors and elected representatives from all over Greece – modern solutions were presented that can contribute to increasing revenues, strengthening the financial independence of municipalities and creating the conditions for the implementation of more projects for the benefit of citizens.
As the CEO of “Lever – Development Consultants SA”, Thodoris Karipides, emphasized, “new technological solutions offer local authorities the opportunity to radically change the way they approach revenues. With uncollected debts reaching 3 billion euros and an annual recovery of only 5%, municipalities need new methodologies and tools to increase their efficiency”.
“This means that on average the 330 municipalities collect 1 million euros less than what they charge”. The statute of limitations on old claims, continued Mr. Karipidis, amounts to 100 million euros, that is, of the total uncollected amount, because, as he said, the time that the municipality has the right to claim its collection passes, 100 million euros are lost from projects every year”.
Accordingly, the president of the “Samaras & Associates” Group, Dimitris Samaras, underlined that “the local government struggles daily for the citizen and his needs, without ever having received the corresponding resources either in human resources or in financial tools. Therefore, the financial self-reliance of the municipalities is a critical priority for local government. Our goal is to provide the appropriate tools and methods, so that the local governments can increase their revenues, utilizing not only their real estate, but also modern technological solutions”.
In the same philosophy, the president of Qualco Group, Mr. Orestis Tsakalotos, stated: “Our goal is to contribute catalytically to improving the way in which municipalities manage their finances. We want to provide solutions that will allow revenues to return to the coffers of the municipalities and be transformed into projects and services for citizens.”
With the support of innovative technologies and specialized partners, municipalities can strengthen their financial sustainability, utilize untapped resources and substantially improve the quality of life of their citizens.
