Assembly protest against deductions from the Common Fund

Assin Nsuaem (C/R), Dec. 5, GNA - The Assin South District Assembly has expressed concern about the numerous deductions being made from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) by the Common Fund Administrator and the Regional Coordinating councils. The assembly said the deductions were defeating the purpose for which the fund was established.

This was contained in the assembly's executive committee report Ms. Millicent Alice Kuranchie, the District Chief Executive, read at the second ordinary session of the assembly at Nsuaem-Kyekyewere. She said out of 7,133,287,607 cedis due the assembly, 2,412,865,187 cedis went into deductions leaving only 4,884,194,420 cedis for development.

Ms Kuranchie said most of the deductions from the DACF had not been specifically budgeted for.

The assembly urged DACF Administrator and Regional Coordinating councils to consider new assemblies when making the deductions. Ms. Kuranchie said only 28,656,700 cedis was collected as Internal Revenue Generated Fund (IGF) as at 31st August 2007 representing 30.40 per cent of the estimated revenue for the year. She said she was not happy with the performance of some revenue collectors and that she suspected they were indulging in some illegal activities.

Ms Kuranchie said the assembly was planning a "home-coming" durbar to bring citizens from the area together to discuss how to tap the resources of the area for socio-economic development and also how to "sell" the district to the outside world.

She said the assembly had been allocated one of the three model schools the Chinese government was putting up in the country and that the assembly was to contribute GH 35,000 cedis as counterpart funding for the project.

Mr Anthony Arthur, Presiding Member, said the destiny of the assembly was in the hands of the members and that they should show concern about its development. He appealed to members to come out with pragmatic measures to salvage the assembly's financial predicament.