Local government authorities have been challenged to devise innovative ways to collect property tax which has remained untapped by the assemblies.
The Local Government Workers’ Union is confident the success of the street naming exercises at the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) will help provide relevant data base for property rate collection.
The Union is therefore calling on the central government to commit more resources to drive local governance whilst urging workers of the MMDAs to avoid fraudulent practices and rather step up the revenue mobilization efforts.
National Chairman of the Union, Thomas Kujan-Tira, tells Luv News it is in the interest of the assemblies to set targets for local staff to deliver efficiently than to outsource revenue collection activities to private agencies.
The Union expects that “when property owners voluntarily pay their rate, the assemblies should reciprocate the gesture by providing the needed infrastructure like good road network, supply of potable water, efficient waste disposal system and modern market structures. It is an eye sore to see poor and dilapidated market structures in both towns and cities, when in fact these markets contribute substantially to revenue of assemblies”.
In a statement, it asked MMDAs to continue to impact positively on development by tackling indiscriminate waste disposal by providing effective and efficient mechanism for waste collection, motivate property owners to voluntarily pay their rates, rehabilitate markets and prevent encroachment on state acquired lands.
The Union is hopeful when people see their money been used in a judicious manner, they will be motivated to pay the relevant rates and tolls to improve the revenue of the assemblies.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh
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