MMDAs advised to be accountable to citizens

Mr Peter Nketiah, Dormaa Central Municipal Budget Analyst, has advised Municipal, District and Metropolitan Assemblies (MMDAs) to be more accountable to the people to improve on revenue mobilisation.

He said the municipal assembly’s revenue had increase significantly for some time now because the assembly had been responsive to the local people and many of them had understood the importance to pay their taxes and rates.

He was speaking at fun game jointly oganised by Gift FM, a local radio station in Dormaa-Ahenkro and Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), a human right non-governmental organisation (NGO) to mark the Republic Day celebration at Dormaa-Ahenkro on Tuesday.

According to Mr Nketiah, research had showed that tax payers were not willing to pay because the assemblies were not accountable to them. He said though tax evasion is a serious offence, there is the need to sensitise citizens and make them understand that national growth and development requires collective contribution from all citizens.

Mr Nketiah commended the NGO and the FM station for their contribution in helping to sensitise the people on the need to pay tax. He expressed optimism that the education programme would be extended to other areas of development.

Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, Chief Executive Officer of GLOMEF explained that his outfit and Gift FM with funding from STAR-Ghana, a multi-donor funded organisation implementing a 14- month project in the municipality to enhance revenue mobilisation, utilisation as well as transparency and accountability at the local level.

He said the project is being undertaken in 13 communities in the municipality and appealed to the media, traditional rulers and assembly members to support. Mr Ahenu advised the assembly to ensure that it always contact the local people seek their views and ascertain their immediate needs whenever it wants to put up a particular project in the local communities.

By so doing, the Chief Executive Officer noted that the local people would also develop a sense of ownership and contribute their part towards national development. Mr Ahenu noted that many district assemblies had neglected their people in decision making processes and is affecting the level of development in the communities.