Sunyani West District up against sly revenue collectors-Osei-Asigbey

Odumase(BA), May 2, GNA - The Sunyani West District assembly's efforts at maximizing its revenue mobilization is being thwarted by cheating revenue collectors, Mr. Kwadwo Osei-Asigbey, Sunyani West District Chief Executive, has said.

"Some of their deeds have come to light and management has acted promptly to interdict the alleged culprits from Odumase Revenue Station. The Finance Sub-committee has been charged to complement the effort of management by performing similar exercises in the three revenue stations namely, Fiapre, Chiraa and Nsoatre." Mr. Kwadwo Osei-Asigbey, Sunyani West District Chief Executive, was addressing the first ordinary assembly meeting held at Odumase on Friday.

He said the assembly's target for revenue collection for 2010 was GHC214, 598 but as at 31st March, 2010, the first quarter of the year, GHC50, 982 representing about 25 per cent of the targeted revenue. Mr. Osei-Asigbey said as part of measures by the assembly to widen its tax base, the assembly had voted GHC19,238 for the construction of a database by the district planning co-ordinating unit to argument a medium term development plan to enable the assembly accomplish its objectives.

"In addition to the database strategy, management has also put in place several measures to enhance revenue collection; they include the preparation of demand notices at the office instead of it being prepared by collectors themselves".

He mentioned challenges facing the generation of revenue as lack of qualified revenue personnel or permanent revenue staff, political, traditional leaders and other stakeholders' interference. "Inadequate public education on payment of taxes due to unavailability of transport for the revenue staff and therefore appealed to the assembly members to assist the task force when it visits their respective electoral area."

On sanitation, he stated that the assembly was on the list of serious sanitation challenged districts in the country, rolling out a pay roll of GHC700.00 on sanitary labourers.

Mr. Kwame Agyenim, Boateng, Presiding Member, outlined the problems confronting the assembly as slow pace of development, low revenue mobilization and generation, lack of effective supervision and monitoring of projects and low staffing, corruption and embezzlement by revenue staff and non-performing officials and subordinate staff. "The rest are indiscriminate citing of kiosks and unauthorized structures in all the major towns, poor sanitation and environmental degradation, lack of maintenance culture, ineffective district education oversight committee and non-functional School Management Committees and Parent Teachers Associations and lack of direction, control and focus for Urban, Town and Area councils."

He called for the establishment of an educational endowment fund for the Sunyani West District Assembly to assist needy but brilliant students and help promote quality education.

Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Member of Parliament, Sunyani West, reminded the assembly about the need to set aside part of their budgetary allocation for housing as directed by the President in his state of the nation address to Parliament to all District Assemblies in the country.

He appealed to the members to endeavour to forward their inputs and cooperate with members of the Constitutional Review Team when they come to the Brong-Ahafo Region.