Kwun’nun - Taxation Software
The Tulo Centre is excited to be working on a new software development project to support First Nations and tax administrators in managing property taxation. The software, named Kwun’nun after the Chinook word meaning to count, is being developed during this fiscal year with a planned launch at the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year. Modules for other types of First Nation taxation are planned for after the completion of the property taxation module.
Kwun’nun is being designed to support the key activities of tax administration covered in our First Nation Tax Administration certificate program, including:
Managing the tax roll (assessment data, ownership and payment information).
Setting rates and expenditures.
Calculating interest on late payments.
Generating tax notices.
Key Feature – Budgeting and Rates Setting Module
The budgeting and rates setting module is being developed to allow for expenditure law budgeting. Kwun’nun users will be able to create budgets that map to expenditure law categories, export budgets in excel, and save multiple budget versions.
Kwun’nun is being developed based on three key principles of configurability, transparency, and capacity building.
Configurability
The software will be designed so jurisdictional differences for individual
First Nations can be configured within the software, such as differences in provincial practices, differences in interest rate calculations, and differences in approaches to rate setting.
Transparency
The software will be transparent with respect to the calculations made so calculations can be verified and understood, including, interest rates, tax rates, expenditures, and any other calculations
Capacity Building
The software is being designed to help build capacity in First Nations and ensure tax administrators are able to manage their annual property taxation cycles. To achieve this:
The software will enable tax administrators to manage property taxation without requiring assistance.
The Tulo Centre will arrange specific workshops on the software and add training on the software to the tax administration certificate program curriculum.
Support will be available to help resolve any technical issues with the software or support training on the use of the software.
Kwun’nun User Acceptance Testing
We are looking to work with First Nations as part of the User Acceptance Testing in late 2023, early 2024, which will include:
Running test tax years using assessment, rates and expenditure information from previous tax years, and
Working with the Tulo Centre to provide verbal and written feedback on your experience using the software.
Email info@tulo.ca if you are interested in participating in the user acceptance testing or if would like to adopt Kwun’nun once it is launched.
Kwun’nun Coordinator
The Tulo Centre is looking for a coordinator to support the use of Kwun’nun, including:
Supporting First Nations in the onboarding process
Responding to inquiries from Kwun’nun users and potential users
Developing training and delivering workshops and other training on Kwun’nun
Our ideal candidate is a great communicator with experience in First Nation taxation and someone with experience communicating technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
If you are interested in this position, please email info@tulo.ca.
