By Frank Kwame Abbor
Dzolokpuita, May 15, GNA – Mr Profer Francis Dusey, District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Ho West District Assembly, has dismissed claims that the district’s declining revenue mobilisation is due to strained relations between the Assembly and residents of Dzolo.
The claims are said to stem from the death of a young man during a revenue mobilisation exercise some years ago.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on May 14, Mr Dusey described the incident as unfortunate but noted that it had not affected the cordial relationship between the Assembly and the people.
“That incident is regrettable and not a good moment for Ho West and the people of Dzolo, but it has happened and is now in the past,” he said.
Mr Dusey explained that the Assembly’s low Internally Generated Fund (IGF) was largely due to limited revenue sources within the district, rather than unwillingness by residents to cooperate.
“We don’t have the revenue lines that other districts or municipalities have. That is the major problem, not that the people are unwilling to cooperate,” he stated.
He said the Ho West District lacked the level of commercial activity and infrastructure found in more urbanised areas such as the Ho Municipality.
“In Ho Township, there are numerous banks, hotels, filling stations, commercial buildings and businesses that pay significant property rates. In Ho West, we have only a few guest houses, about six filling stations and one rural bank,” he explained.
The DCE noted that the absence of major commercial institutions, office complexes and private investments had limited the Assembly’s revenue base.
He also identified inadequate property data as a key challenge affecting revenue collection.
“As I speak, we do not have comprehensive data on properties within the district. The little data available is scanty, making revenue collection very difficult,” he said.
Mr Dusey disclosed that the Assembly was in discussions with Ominist Strategies, a private firm expected to support property rate and advertisement revenue collection through a technology-driven system.
He said the partnership would also help generate reliable data on households and businesses to enhance revenue administration.
“They are bringing on board a technological approach that will make the collection more efficient and less stressful for residents,” he added.
Mr Dusey said the Assembly had begun community sensitisation campaigns to educate residents on the importance of paying property and basic rates.
“We are engaging communities across the district to explain the need to pay these rates. The approach will not be harassment, but a cordial and respectful process,” he assured.
He further revealed that the Assembly was compiling data on government employees within the district to facilitate the deduction of basic rates through the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
On calls for the division of the Ho West district, Mr Dusey cautioned that such a move could worsen the Assembly’s financial challenges.
“With the little experience I have gained in office, I do not support calls to divide the district. One part may not be able to function effectively because Assembly administration depends heavily on internally generated funds,” he stated.
He rather proposed the creation of more constituencies within the existing district structure, rather than splitting the Assembly into separate administrative units.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Lydia Kukua Asamoah