Kulonprogo Council Wants Digitalization to Increase Regional Revenues

The Kulonprogo Regency Council (DPRD), part of the Yogyakarta Special Region in Endonezya, emphasized that urgent steps must be taken to increase the local government's revenue level. In this context, council members consider the digitalization of regional tax and fee collection processes to be a highly critical step for the region's economic goals. It is noted that equipping current systems with a more modern and transparent infrastructure will both facilitate citizens' payment processes and reduce unregistered income. The concept of Regional Original Revenue (PAD) for local governments is seen as the most crucial key to achieving self-sufficiency, independent of transfers from the central government. Therefore, digital transformation is planned not merely as a technological innovation, but as a sustainable financial development strategy.

Another important strategy to achieve revenue growth is the much more effective and efficient utilization of the properties and assets held by local governments. The Kulonprogo Local Government (Pemkab) is encouraged to bring public lands, buildings, and other local assets that are currently idle or utilized below their potential into the economic cycle. Evaluating these assets through leasing, sales, or partnership projects could create a surprise revenue stream for the regency budget. The council argues that asset management must be approached with a professional understanding; otherwise, public resources will continue to be wasted. This approach, in addition to ensuring financial discipline, carries the potential to positively impact the overall investment climate of the region.

In addition to digitalization and asset optimization, the comprehensive development of Kulonprogo's local economic potential is also among the issues on the council's agenda. Supporting sectors such as agriculture, small-scale enterprises, and local handicrafts in the region with modern business models has been identified as an area that will directly provide returns to the regional economy. Furthermore, it is believed that the contribution of the new international airport, opened in Kulonprogo in recent years, to regional trade and logistics should also be evaluated as part of this economic potential. Supporting such local development projects will increase employment, raise the purchasing power of the local population, and indirectly maximize local tax revenues. Authorities agree that this economic potential should not be left anonymous and demand concrete action plans.

In Endonezya, the concept of Regional Original Revenue (PAD) stands out as the most fundamental financial indicator that measures the ability of local governments to generate and manage their own revenues as part of regional autonomy laws. To increase PAD, it is essential that fees, taxes, and local public service charges are collected quickly, reliably, and widely. Traditional, paper-based, or manual collection methods both lead to time loss and present a structure more prone to corruption or human errors. Therefore, Kulonprogo's transition to digital payment systems and the collection of fees through mobile applications or online platforms is a highly modern solution. Thanks to this structural reform, citizens will receive faster services, while the local government will be able to track its financial resources in a much more transparent and accountable manner.

The success of all these financial and economic goals undoubtedly depends on strong cooperation and continuous monitoring between the local government and council members. The Kulonprogo DPRD expects the local government (Pemkab) to establish a clear roadmap for the proposed digital transformation and economic development plans. Overcoming economic bottlenecks and preventing revenue losses will be possible not only through legal regulations but also through innovative projects that can be implemented in the field. How the local government will respond to this call in the upcoming periods and to what extent Kulonprogo can achieve its revenue targets are being closely followed by the local population. Every step taken towards achieving local development and financial autonomy is considered a significant milestone that will directly affect the future welfare level of the region.