USAID/Albania PLGP Success Story: Peace Corps Volunteer in Fier Works with Municipality to Increase Property Tax Collection

The project aimed to improve property tax collection in the municipality, which is a major source of local government own-source revenues. The property tax collection rate in Albania is poor, and improving it is a significant challenge for both national and local officials. To address this issue, the PLGP has been assisting its 15 partner municipalities, including Fier, in improving their property tax systems. The municipality of Fier has proven to be a leader in property tax collection, with a new system implemented in September 2014 using a GIS technology-based system. The new system involved organizing 32 working groups to collect and update data on immovable properties, property owners, and tax rates, and uploading it into the system. By November, a substantial amount of immovable properties had been uploaded, resulting in a 260% increase in income from immovable property tax for residential buildings compared to fiscal year 2013. The municipality continues to identify, update, and upload new properties into the system, correcting any potential double registrations. Graham Anderson, a Peace Corps Volunteer embedded in the municipality of Fier, has played a crucial role in the project's success. As the municipality's vice mayor notes, Graham has been instrumental in tracking the project's daily progress and acting as a mentor to the project team, providing different perspectives and enhancing the planning and decision-making processes. The collaboration between PLGP and Peace Corps/Albania has been a unique and successful partnership, providing outreach and community presence while providing PCVs with a structure and framework to work within. The collaboration continues to enhance the goals of both PLGP and Peace Corps/Albania by working to improve local governance and meeting community organizations' needs for community builders. The success of the project in Fier has been attributed to the effective use of GIS technology and the active participation of local staff and the Peace Corps Volunteer. The project's ongoing efforts aim to complete the process of uploading all immovable properties into the system and further disseminate tax bills, ultimately improving property tax collection in the municipality.