Assemblies in Upper West asked to boost revenue collection

Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper West Region have been asked to revise their strategies, to boost revenue collection in order to stop their over reliance on the District Assemblies’ Common Fund.

Mr. Kale Cesar, Upper West Regional Deputy Minister, who gave the advice, suggested to the assemblies to make available incentives to attract unemployed graduates into their revenue collection sector, and set targets for them.

He said “Instead of relying on revenue commission collectors some of who are paid as low as GH¢50, the unemployed graduates could be engaged permanently and given the necessary incentives to plug all loopholes that are undermining sound revenue generation in the Assemblies”.

Mr. Cesar gave the advice at the composite budget hearing of the Wa Municipal Assembly at Wa, which was attended by assembly members, heads and representatives of decentralized departments and agencies in the Municipality.

The over reliance on the District Assembly Common Fund for the execution of projects by Assemblies was a worrisome situation, which ought to be reversed through very innovative policies and strategies if they hoped to sustainable stand on their feet resource-wise, he said.

Mr Cesar told the decentralized departments and agencies that payments to them for this year were in arrears because the government was currently saddled with paying very huge wages and salaries of employees, brought about by the implementation of Single Spine Salary policy.

Alhaji Duogu Yakubu, Wa Municipal Chief Executive, said the budget hearing should not be a forum for only sharing information and allocation of resources but also a conflict prevention mechanism.

“When people are not adequately informed about activities and programmes of the Assembly and about finances and their implications it becomes a recipe for discontent and agitation”, he said.

Source: GNA