The Shama District Assembly has from January to March this year collected GH?86,177.29 as against the estimated GH?94,999.03 from its Internally Generated Funds (IGF).

The amount represents 90.71 percent of the first quarter estimate and 17 percent of the annual estimate, Mr Enoch Kojo Appiah, the Shama District Chief Executive announced in his sectional address at the ordinary meeting of 26 member house of the assembly.

He said the revenue was collected from rates, lands and royalties, fees/fines, licenses, rent, investment and other miscellaneous.

The expenditure within the same period stood at GH?93,933.78 as against the estimated expenditure of GH?68,598.52 representing 136 percent of the first quarter estimate and 24.26 percent of the annual estimate.

“This indicates an over expenditure of 6.92 percent”, the DCE stated.

The breakdown of the expenditure are from personal emoluments, utilities, rent, repairs/maintenance, transport/travelling allowance, office facilities and printings among others.

Mr Appiah said following the failure to meet the revenue target from the IGF, the Finance and Administration sub-committee had called for a vigorous strategy to mobilize funds.

As a result, a taskforce has been put in place to do spontaneous monitoring to help minimize revenue leakages for improvement while the assembly’s recurrent expenditure would be controlled.

Mr Appiah expressed his concern to step up revenue mobilization in basic rate, quarry/sand winning, temporal structure permit, communication mast, market toll and hawkers license among others.

He regretted that zero percent was recorded on items like conveyance fees, block/concrete products, bicycle sales/repairs, car washing bays, communication centres and distillers among others and charged those responsible to exhibit seriousness in its revenue mobilization.

Touching on the plight of persons with disability, the DCE said GH?14,200.00 has been disbursed to forty of them which is being shared according to their various trades.

Mr Appiah expressed gratitude to opinion leaders, assembly members and all residents of the district for ensuring a peaceful registration exercise and prayed for continued support in diverse ways to make the district an enviable one.**