By Abebe Dawuni
Yendi (NR) Dec 30, GNA-Yendi Municipal Assembly in the last five months of 2022 improved its revenue mobilization, Alhaji Hammed Abukari Yussuf the Municipal Chief Executive has said.
He said although he lamented their poor revenue performance at the last meeting in the middle of the year, they increased the momentum and improved their performance.
He announced that as at the end of November 2022, they realized an amount of GH₵ 663,162.00 representing 72.2 percent of the target of GH₵ 859,510.00 for 2022, during the third ordinary meeting of the Assembly.
He said strategies were mapped out in a meeting hence the improvement and urged them all to get involved in monitoring revenue collectors.
On property rate collection, he reminded the Assembly that government through Ministry of Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD) had established a unified common platform for Property Rate Administration in the country.
By that arrangement, he said the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) would be responsible for the collection of the rate and 70 percent of the collection within the jurisdiction of the MMDAS would be ceded to the Assembly while the remaining 30percent kept by the GRA as operational cost.
He said agreement to this effect had been signed between MMDAS and the GRA and the ministry and all the information including their Annual Rate Impost, Assessed and non-assessed property and bank account details were forwarded to the ministry, which the GRA would soon issue demand notice in respect of property rate for 2022 and 2023.
Alhaji Hammed said the Assembly received its third quarter allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) of GH₵217,504.00 which was used to pay outstanding debts with respect to projects and supplies.
He said the Assembly would embark on a vigorous development projects like construction of 1NO. Double Bank 2-Story 40Units Lockable Stores under Ghana Secondary Cities Support Project, Construction of CHPS compound at Gamazi, Construction of 1NO. 3- Unit Classroom block at Bogni, construction of 3m x 2m double box culvert to link Walyapala to Kumfong, Construction of 18 mechanized boreholes across the Municipality from DPAT and DACF were yet to be identified.
He said there were reported cases of armed robberies on Tamale and Bimbilla roads and the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) had resolved to intensify its operation to ensure peace and security across the municipality.
He said the assembly had allocated three drums of fuel to the security to undertake patrols on those roads to eliminate criminals and in other areas of the municipality.
With skills training for girls, 150 young ladies would be traained in hair dressing as 30 Master Hair Dressers will be supported to train five apprentices each, and apprentices after completion would be given entrepreneurship and business management skills by the Business Resources Centre after which they would be supported with start-up kits and initial capital via the YOUSTART programme to establish their own businesses.
Mr. Hussein Abdul-Karim, the Presiding Member of the Assembly called on the assembly members to be involved in the monitoring of Revenue Collectors and the work they do at their various Electoral areas to ensure transparency.
GNA