Apam (C/R), Feb. 11, GNA - The payment of taxes is an obligation every rateable citizen has to fulfil, Miss Joyce Aidoo, Gomoa District Chief Executive has said.
It is wrong to link the honouring of taxes to the amenities enjoyed by the people, she added.
Miss Aidoo made the point at a workshop organised by the Assembly for its revenue collectors at Apam.
The DCE expressed disappointment about the performance of the collectors and said the Assembly could not rely solely on the District Assembly Common Fund for funding and expressed the need to mobilise funds internally to finance development.
Miss Aidoo cautioned the collectors against malpractices such as collecting foodstuffs instead of money and warned that anyone caught would be summarily dismissed and prosecuted.
She cautioned them against using their work for politics and assured them of an incentive package for those who would exceed target. Mr Eric Akobeng, District Budget Analyst, said the assembly had decided to involve taxpayers in the fixing of the annual fees to make them understand how they are fixed for them to appreciate the need to pay promptly.
Mr Frank Essel Cobbah, Presiding Member, urged them to justify their retention in the job by working hard.
Mr Fred Oscar Abban, Chairman of the Assembly's Sub-Committee on Finance and Administration, cautioned against the collection of fees above or below the rates in the fee-fixing resolution.
The resource persons, including Mr Eric Opong Bediako, District Co-ordinating Director, Mr Abraham Mensah, District Finance Officer and Mr Quarcoo Blankson, Local Government Inspector took the participants through topics such as revenue mobilisation, legal basis of revenue collection, financing new local government system, human relation and communication, uses of taxation, auditing and control system and other topics.
