‘Non-payment of property rate, levies due to poor roads’
The Municipal Chief Executive(MCE) of Kpone-Katamanso, Samuel OkoeAmanquah, has noted that non-payment of property rates and other levies by residents is due to deplorable roads in the area.
He said the residents were discouraged and reluctant to pay levies because of bad roads and water shortage in the municipality.
Mr. Amanquah, speaking at a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, stated that the situation was affecting revenue generation of the Assembly.
He said, “sometimes you can’t drive to those places and say you are going to collect property rate when the road leading to those places are nothing to talk about.”
Mr. Amanquah said that the Assembly had submitted a document on the road network in the municipality to the Vice President, DrMahamuduBawumia, who had assured to secure the needed funding to support road network in the municipality.
The MCE said that “If we are able to repair 50 per cent of our major roads, it would change the landscape of Kpone-Katamanso totally. It would give people the zeal to support government agenda and be willing to contribute to the development of the municipality through payment of property rates and business operating permits.”
On water shortage,Mr. Amanquah said the Assembly would introduce “50/50 Accelerated Development” by “which resident associations in new settlements would contribute funds while the Assembly augment to connect water to those areas.”
He said overhead tanks would be built to supply water to old settlements.
Municipal Budget Analyst, Noble AtsuAhadzie, said the Assembly attained GHC16,171,028.84 as against GHC 14,250,929.20 as a result of strategies put in place.
He said the major challenge confronting the Assembly in revenue mobilisation was the boundary dispute between adjoining districts and the unwillingness of residents to pay property rates.
Mr Ahadzie appealed to residents to pay their rates and levies regularly.
FROM KEN AFEDZI-KPONE
