Sunyani Municipal Assembly improves revenue collection

Revenue collection performance by the Sunyani Municipal Assembly has significantly improved through the implementation of the Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA) project.

Out of the revenue target of GHȼ1,435,407.00 it set for year 2014, it collected a total of GHȼ1,345,121.00, representing 94 per cent.

Mr Godson Ehorke, the Sunyani Municipal Budget Analyst, said as of November this year, the Assembly had raked in a total of GHȼ1,115,560.00 this being 24 per cent short of the projected figure of GHȼ1,555,404.84.

He made this known to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a training programme on the SPEFA project for journalists, assembly members, artisans, dressmakers, hairdressers, traders and market women in Sunyani.

The event was jointly organized by the Mission of Hope Society (MIHOSO) and the Netherland Development Organization (NDV).

The project aims at helping tax payers in the municipality to understand why they need to pay their taxes and rates to the Assembly to promote compliance.

Mr Ehorke said the SPEFA intervention had been beneficial – made rates and fees collection less burdensome adding that it had helped to facilitate some level of understanding between the tax payers and collectors.

Mr Thomas Benarkuu, the Project Coordinator of MIHOSO, said credible data base, good forecasting, target setting and continuous tax education, were vital for improved revenue performance.

He reminded the people to honour their tax obligations to bring development to the communities.

He said it was equally important to demand accountability to ensure that there was transparency in the management of financial resources by the assemblies.

Mr Senyo Tsikata, an official of the SNV, affirmed that revenue inflows of almost all the 35 metropolitan and municipal assemblies, which had benefited from the SPEFA project had increased.

Source: GNA