Kweku Sekyi Addo,Chief Executive of the Telecom Chamber
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is threatening to close down ministries, departments and agencies as well as other public institutions in default of business operating permits and property rates.
The move will also affect telecommunication companies operating from within the Accra Metropolis. The State institutions and telecom companies together owe the AMA over 3.5 million Ghana cedis from 2008 to 2012.
Kweku Sekyi Addo, Chief Executive of the Telecom Chamber denies claims that telecos owned the AMA property rates and other levies.
He revealed that on January 18 this year, telecos secured a default judgment in court that said the AMA needed approval from National Communications Authority (NCA) to charge fees and levies on telecos. It was meant to check arbitrary charges on companies by the AMA, he suggested.
However the Director of Finance at AMA, Samuel Aryee rebutted Kweku’s assertion on Joy News saying the ruling as gazetted only takes effect from January 2013.
Meanwhile the Assembly wants fees owed it from 2008 to 2012 to be paid. Mr Aryee maintained the assembly will close down all the institutions affected on Monday if they fail to pay.