DCE not happy with assembly's revenue collection performance

The District Chief Executive for Amansie West, Mr Charles Oti-Prempeh, has expressed worry about the assembly's revenue generation performance, saying, more needed to be done. He would not go into figures but said the current financial situation was nothing to be proud of. Mr Oti-Prempeh told an ordinary meeting of the assembly that although its June trial balance showed marginal increase in revenue, this was outstripped by soaring expenditure caused by the rise in prices of goods and services. He said it had become necessary to step up the assembly's public education campaign to encourage the people to pay their taxes and rates. The DCE said the assembly's ability to support development programmes and projects of the communities was dependent on the strength of its finances and that the assembly was indebted to contractors to the tune of GH�600,000. This is in respect of unpaid jobs they have done, some dating back to 2006. He also touched on the cocoa mass spraying exercise in the area and said reports about theft of chemicals and lubricants were disheartening. The exercise has helped to raise the level of cocoa production in the district and everything must be done to sustain it, he said. Mrs Grace Addo raised concern about the activities of illegal miners and chainsaw operators, which she said are destroying food and cash crop farms as well as rivers. She appealed to mining companies operating in the district to provide jobs and alternative livelihood for the people.