Agona Assembly increases divorce fees

Agona Swedru, Nov 28, GNA - The Agona District Assembly has increased divorce fee from 100,000 cedis to 500,000 cedis to discourage the break up of marriages.

Mr John Kwesi Agyabeng, District Chief Executive, who announced this at a forum on the Assembly's proposed budget for 2004 at Swedru, however, said the 50,000 cedis fee for the registration of marriages was to be retained.

The DCE said the decision had been taken because about 85 percent of homes were being taken care of by single parents.

The forum, the first to be held on Assembly's budget was attended by market women, traditional rulers, civil servants, landlords, artisans and drivers .

Mr Agyabeng said the District Assembly wanted to discourage the negative trend because of the problems of street children, child maintenance and parents soliciting for support for the education of their children, which is on the ascendancy.

Participants suggested that the divorce fee should rather be increased from 100,000 to one million cedis.

He said the assembly had built a number of school blocks, clinics, roads and others, adding that, the forum formed part of the decentralisation policy being practised by the government.

Nana Kojo Frimpong, Chairman of the Finance and Administration sub-committee of the Assembly, said that the assembly had targeted to 1.6 billion cedis next year as against 1.1 billion this year from internal generated sources.

He said the sub-committee had proposed to increase property rate from 13 to 20 percent to improve the Assembly's financial position.

Nana Frimpong noted that the Assembly had not been able to provide the base map for the construction of access roads in the district.

He said the sub-committee had drawn up plans to maximise the collection of revenue, adding that, an in-service training would be organised for revenue collectors to improve their efficiency. Mr G. B. L. Siilo, District Co-ordinating Director, said the Assembly wanted to bring its activities to the doorsteps of the people to enable them know and understand its programmes. He said many people have refused to pay basic rates and other taxes of the Assembly because they do not see what the Assembly did with the revenue, adding that, the forum was part of efforts to enlighten them.