The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) is set to penalise Chief Executives, Financial Officers and Coordinators of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies for recent cases of missing General Counterfoil Receipt (GCR) books in some of the assemblies.
The development, according to the RCC, was making it difficult to trace transactions that had taken place in those assemblies.
So far, Offinso, Akrofuom, Atwima Mponua and Suame assemblies have been cited for such anomalies.
Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, who dropped the hint and describing the situation as very worrying, said “this trend will not be tolerated in the region. For this reason, the Chief Executives and Presiding Members of the mentioned assemblies are to be sanctioned”, he underlined.
He was addressing the first RCC general meeting, here on Wednesday.
The minister also did not understand why the assemblies were not addressing some recurring audit issues which included the non-deduction of Value Added Tax (VAT).
According to the minister, even when the VAT was deducted, it was not remitted while payments made by assemblies were also not accounted for.
He indicated that some assemblies were refusing to hold audit meetings and mentioned an abysmal picture at Offinso, Sekyere East and Adansi North as he sent a strong caution to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives and Coordinators for refusing to involve their internal auditors in the payment processes.
On the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP Programme) the minister mentioned that total number of LEAP beneficiaries in the region stood at 27,737 households, made up of 153,600 individuals (85,966 females and 67,634 males).
“There has been a 100 per cent increase in the grant for beneficiaries by government. Recent payment of GH¢64.00 to one eligible member household, is now GH¢128.00 and recipients of GH¢76.00 for two eligible member household, now receive GH¢152.00; Payment to three eligible member household, who previously received GH¢88.00, now receive ¢176.00; household with four or more eligible members, now receive GH¢212.00 instead of GH¢106.00”, he indicated
The minister said, the LEAP programme has impacted positively on the lives of beneficiary households in the region by increasing school enrolment and retention, reduction in child labor and improvement in the national health insurance scheme.
He announced that out of a quarterly budgeted figure of GH¢26,524,274.80 for Internally Generating Fund (IGF), actual collection for the period was GH¢24,587,160.31 representing 92.70 per cent thus showing a shortfall of 7.30 per cent
“This is a marked improvement over what was reported at the last Regional Co-ordinating Council meeting,” he said and urged them on to work harder.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
