By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Aug. 28, GNA – Norsaac, a civil society organisation (CSO), has proposed stronger coordination, transparency and accountability in property rate administration and collection to enable Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to mobilise more revenue for local development.
It said property rate remained an important source of Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for MMDAs, but weaknesses in administration, collection, taxpayer compliance and accountability continued to limit its revenue potential.
Norsaac made the call at a high-level multi-stakeholder dialogue on strengthening property rate administration and collection in Ghana, held in Tamale.
The dialogue brought together representatives of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), CSOs, development partners, youth networks, the media and other stakeholders working on taxation, local governance and accountability.
Hajia Hafsatu Sey Sumani, Head of Programmes and Policy Influencing at Norsaac, said the dialogue was aimed at reviewing recent reforms in property rate administration, identifying remaining bottlenecks and building consensus on practical measures to improve revenue mobilisation.
She said Norsaac was using the platform to share evidence and lessons from its property rate interventions, taxpayer education activities and youth-media engagement on tax accountability.
Hajia Sumani said the discussions would also draw on partner organisations’ experiences to inform a Norsaac-led position paper on improving property rate administration, collection and accountability.
She said the dialogue would enable stakeholders to assess the implementation of recent reforms, including the digitisation of property databases, and identify policy, institutional and operational challenges affecting effective property rate collection.
“We want to move beyond discussions to practical and actionable recommendations with clear ownership and follow-through,” she said.
Hajia Sumani underscored the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, MMDAs, CSOs, the media and citizens to improve taxpayer compliance and accountability in local revenue mobilisation.
Madam Olivia Hanny of the MLGCRA said property rate remained an important source of IGF for MMDAs, but challenges in administration, accountability and implementation continued to affect its effectiveness.
She said addressing the challenges required effective coordination among institutions involved in property rate administration and a clear understanding of their respective responsibilities.
Madam Hanny expressed the MLGCRA’s commitment to providing policy direction and guidance to MMDAs on local government financing and property rate administration.
Miss Dorcas Awonnate Adaawen, Youth Education and Gender Officer at Oxfam in Ghana, underscored the importance of partnerships among government institutions, CSOs, development partners, the media and youth groups in strengthening property rate administration.
She said sustained collaboration and public education were critical to improving citizens’ understanding of their tax obligations and promoting accountability in the use of local revenue.
Mr Hamdan Wumpeka Amadu, Northern Regional Coordinator of Activista Ghana, commended Norsaac and its partners for organising the dialogue, saying such engagements provided platforms for stakeholders to share experiences and develop solutions to challenges affecting local revenue mobilisation.
Participants agreed on the need for practical measures to improve policy implementation, taxpayer education and compliance, property valuation and data management, collection efficiency and accountability.
They also called for clear institutional responsibilities and stronger collaboration to ensure that reforms in property rate administration translated into increased revenue for MMDAs and improved local development outcomes.
GNA
Edited by Eric K Amoh /Audrey Dekalu
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