Enforce assembly’s bye laws to mobilise revenue - Chief of Teiman advises La Nkwantanang-Madina
The President of the Teiman Traditional Council, Nii Manle Dzahaa I, has entreated the municipal assembly to enforce its bye laws to enable the assembly to collect the needed revenue for development of the various areas in the municipality.
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He said the Teiman area, as well as all other areas within the municipality, needed development projects and it was the administrative duty of the assembly, which represents the government in the municipality, to ensure that all the needed and legitimate revenues were collected.
Revenues
“Every area within the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality needs one development project or the other, including roads and all depend on the revenues and taxes that are to be paid by the citizens in the municipality.
I don’t think that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) alone is enough to meet the developmental needs of the assembly for the municipality.
“I am aware that there are people who have intentionally not been paying the revenues and taxes as they ought to pay to the assembly.
These negative attitudes are weakening the revenue mobilisation drive of the assembly, which is affecting development of the areas in the municipality,” Nii Dzahaa stated.
The Chief of Teiman, which is near Abokobi in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, gave the advice and encouragement at his palace when the assembly, led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Jennifer Dede Adjabeng, presented some assorted items and an undisclosed amount to support the Teiman Traditional Council in the celebration of this year’s Homowo festival.
He said per the assembly’s bye laws, it had the capacity and duty to ensure that every person paid rent, property rates and building permits, among other taxes, to support the assembly.
Misuse of funds
Nii Dzahaa also raised concern about allegations of individual workers in the assembly misusing revenue and taxes collected by diverting revenues meant for the assembly’s coffers.
He said these were all contributory factors to delays in the execution of some development projects.
He suggested that when caught, such persons must be prosecuted.
The MCE, Mrs Adjabeng, said the assembly was doing its part with the resources available.
She said as had been the practice, the assembly needed to reach out to the traditional council with the little that it had, as its support for the festival.
“As we think about the festival and the joyous mood it will bring, we must also be thinking about our community, in terms of sanitation, to keep it clean in order not to end the festival with sicknesses and diseases,” she advised.