Members of the Asokwa Municipal Assembly have resolved to assume responsibility for the collection of property rates starting from October this year.
The decision stems from their observation that the agreement to delegate property rate collection to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has not yielded the expected results.
Presiding Member (PM), Elliott Banor, addressed the media following a special General Assembly meeting.
He explained that in August of the previous year, when the assembly's staff handled property rate collection, they generated over one million Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
However, this year, since the GRA took over through a third party, Digital City Solutions, the assembly has received slightly over GH¢27,000 for the same period, and for the first quarter of the year, no revenue was received.
Mr. Banor emphasized that the assembly has historically relied on its IGF to fund physical projects, but with the reduced revenue, it can no longer do so.
He expressed disappointment that the GRA's involvement had not contributed to increasing the assembly's revenue, contrary to their agreement.
Before passing the resolution, assembly members asked the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Akwannuasah Gyimah, and the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Samuel Owusu Mensah, to leave the meeting.
This decision was made because both the MCE and MCD were part of the team that signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) authorizing the GRA to collect property rates, and their presence could influence the meeting's outcome.
In addition to reclaiming property rate collection, the assembly also decided to establish a revenue collection task force that will oversee revenue collection, including business operating permits and other fees, starting from August.
Residents were encouraged to cooperate with the task force when they visit for collections.
In December 2022, the GRA announced its partnership with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to collect property rates using the Unified Common Property Rate Platform.
This platform aimed to enhance property rate collection and accounting, eliminating cash transactions and offering digital payment options.
Digital City Solutions is currently managing property rate collection on behalf of the GRA.
However, the Asokwa Municipal Assembly's decision reflects concerns about the effectiveness of this arrangement and its impact on the assembly's revenue stream.
Source: GraphicOnline
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