The Wenchi Municipal Assembly has organised a stakeholders’ meeting with financial institutions, public and private organisations operating in the Municipality.
The stakeholders were drawn from financial institutions and organisations such as SSNIT, microfinance, Savings & Loans, private clinics, Herbal clinics & shops, Maternity homes, Ultra Scan Service, fuel stations, private commercial water operators & producers, Washing bay operators, amongst others.
The meeting forms part of the series of consultative stakeholders engagements with business owners and operators to determine fees, rates and levies payable to the Assembly for their operations as stipulated in the statutes. It sought to enhance and deepen the involvement and participation of stakeholders in the decision making process, sensitize, solicit and incorporate their views on the new fees, rates, levies, licenses, permits of all businesses before approval and implementation as required for good corporate governance.
Stakeholders were educated on the new formula of calculating rates and levies as spelt out by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Decentralisation to exercise fairness, equity, transparency and accountability.
Stakeholders were also sensitized on the utilisation of the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and the need to pay their fees and levies promptly and regularly.
Presenting the Annual Budget and the financial reports of the Assembly for 2020 and 2021, the Municipal Budget Analyst Desmond Titus Bannon accounted for the revenues collected in the period and the shortfalls.
The Budget Analyst also educated stakeholders on the legal basis for revenue mobilisation and management. Local Governance Act 2016, Act 936 Section 137 (1) “A District Assembly may charge fees for a license issued by or on behalf of the District Assembly, subject to guidelines in respect of the charging of fees for license;
Section 141: A District Assembly may charge fees for any service or facility provided by that District Assembly or any permit issued by or on behalf of the District Assembly subject to guidelines for fee charging.
Section 144: A District Assembly shall be the only authority to levy rates for a district despite any customary law to the contrary”.
Some of the stakeholders suggested that the Assembly should conduct periodic assessment to know the ability of businesses to pay before the levies and rates are fixed. They appealed to the Assembly to relax on increment of some of the levies and rates.
They also asked to know the difference between Assembly levies and the levies collected by Stool lands. Stakeholders called for political parties the levied for display of campaign posters.
The deputy Coordinating Director of the Assembly Ato Mends urged business operators to be tax compliant in paying their levies and rates since it is a statutory obligation they must fulfill.
Source: Information Services Department (ISD/WMA)
By: Stanick Sofel Amuzu Kpodo