Hand-held ticketing machine for revenue collection in Kumasi

Kumasi, Dec. 06, GNA - A hand-held ticketing machine for revenue collection in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Ashanti Region was launched in Kumasi on Wednesday. The cash register machine would replace the paper receipt tickets which were being used by the assemblies in the region. The machine would not only enhance revenue collection of the assemblies but minimise human factors that negatively affected revenue mobilisation.

The National Youth Employment Programme for the region was also launched at the ceremony.

Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Rural Development, Science and Environment said monies realised would not only be used for development projects but employment for the youth.

He stressed the need for business communities, professionals in private practice, traders and landlords to honour their tax obligations to enable Government accelerate the country's development. Mr Asamoah-Boateng called for co-operation and support from all and sundry to ensure the success of the concept for the assemblies to provide the needed development projects and services. Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment said 78,000 jobs had been created for the youth nationwide since the inception of the programme.

He said efforts were being made to provide public traffic wardens to complement operations of the police to enable them concentrate on their core operations to protect life and property.

Alhaji Boniface pointed out that the programme was not being implemented on political party affiliations but on educational qualifications and appealed to Ghanaians to disabuse their minds from that notion.

He said the programme was to tackle the unemployment problem in the country and called on Ghanaians to embrace it. Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive called on the assemblies to embrace the new concept since their ability to improve the living standards of the people depended on adequate financial resources.