Area Councils have no power to levy rates --officer

Nkawie (Ashanti), 21st May ?99 ?

Area Councils have no authority to levy rates, fees and licences because they have no legal power to do so.

Mr George Nti, Atwima District Planning Officer, announced this at a day's induction course held at Nkawie on Wednesday for newly employed staff of the 18 area councils in the Atwima district of the Ashanti region.

He explained that the local government instrument of 1994 explicitly excludes the councils from performing such functions, and it would therefore be wrong on the part of any area council to print its own revenue collection receipt books.

The course was designed to prepare the secretaries, treasurers, messengers and typists for their roles and to give them an insight into the limits of the councils.

The district planning officer asked the area councils to focus on helping to prevent fraudulent transactions in the collection of revenue for district assemblies, and enforce their byelaws.

Earlier, the District Chief Executive, Mr Peter Yaw Mensah, asked the staff not only to be concerned about monetary considerations but also to show a strong desire to serve the people.

He pointed out that the success or otherwise of the area council concept would, largely, depend upon the work of the staff and asked them to be imbued with discipline, punctuality and a high sense of dedication.