Tamale says resources from govt are inadequate

Tamale, Aug 01, GNA - Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, has expressed concern about the inadequate allocation of resources from the government to the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly.

He said despite Tamale being a metropolis, it received about 6 billion cedis from the government as its share of the District Assembly's Common Fund while Nanumba North and Karaga districts were allocated about 9 billion cedis and 8.7 billion cedis respectively from the same source.

Mr Adam raised the concern at the inauguration of 1.76 billion-cedi 14-unit single storey market stores at Aboabo in the Tamale Metropolis on Monday.

He said contrary to the expectations of many people, allocation of resources from the government did not favour the Metropolis. "The formula for sharing the national cake, although pro-poor, defies the principle of equity distribution of resources." "I would like to appeal to the government to consider the peculiar circumstances of Tamale, though regrettable, to create a Special Rescue Fund for us, especially as we are also hosting CAN 2008", he said. Mr Adam blamed the people in the metropolis for not paying their taxes and said the assembly was able to realise less than a billion cedis annually.

He said statistics indicated that it could generate 15 billion cedis annually from property rate alone if 70 per cent of its potentials were collected.

Mr Adam said the assembly would launch a comprehensive programme on revenue mobilization this month to raise resources to undertake development projects and warned that it would not spare anybody who faulted.