LaDMA to begin door-to-door revenue collection in May

The La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), will from May next month, begin door-to-door collection of revenue and taxes owned the assembly by businesses and residential properties in the area.

This, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Solomon Kotey Nikoi, explained, would enable the assembly to fish out defaulters and process them for court.

Mr Nikoi explained this at a town hall meeting  on Tuesday in Accra during the 2021 planning and budgeting performance of  the assembly on the theme; “Participatory development : the role of stakeholders.”

According to him, the time had come for the assembly to take pro-active measures to meet its revenue targets, adding “this move will yield enough revenue to enable the assembly to undertake planned projects for the benefits of the tax payers within the catchment area.”

The MCE stated that the assembly was able to collect  GH₵ 2,061,775  out of targeted  GH₵ 2,215,000  budgeted for property rates, and  GH₵5,094, 668  out of the targeted amount of GH₵ 3,498,175 on building permits for the year 2021.

Mr Nikoi explained that GH₵1,909,352 was collected out of targeted GH₵ 2,161,830 budgeted for, from business operating permits, while GH₵ 1,622,757  was generated out of 1,594,891  from market tolls, lorry parks tolls and parking tolls.

He stressed that despite the improvements in revenue mobilisation by the assembly for the year under review, about GH₵ 4, 05,701 was still in arrears from property rates and business operating permits.

The MCE stated that the assembly was able to collect GH₵ 10,794 534 from its Internally Generated Fund (IGF) out of estimated GH₵ 9,869,898 and was able to raise GH₵ 7,117, 353 out  of GH₵ 16,601, 314 budgeted from other revenue sources.

Mr Nikoi said  GH₵ 220,400  was raised out of GH₵ 200,000 budgeted from development partners for Sanitation and Water facilities, and only GH₵ 54,504 was collected out of GH₵ 73,947 budgeted for agriculture development.

The MCE said though an estimated amount of GH₵17, 911,888 was raised out of GH₵C 26,571,212 budgeted for in 2021, the assembly was hopeful of generating more when debtors honour their taxes obligations.

He commended the staff, especially the revenue mobilisation unit for their tireless job, and urged them to double up efforts and achieve the revenue targets for 2022 to speed up the socio-economic development of the area.

BY VICTOR A BUXTON