TAMA CAN'T MEET REVENUE TARGETS (PAGE 29)

THE Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, has expressed concern about the assembly’s inability to achieve targets in its internally generated revenue mobilisation efforts.
He said the assembly’s revenue between 2006 and this year, for instance, had been dwindling.
“In 2006, we raised GH¢364,054, while in 2007 we collected GH¢249,349. The revenue for the first half of this year stood at GH¢55,092,” he said.
Mr Adam stated this at the second ordinary meeting of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA).
The two-day meeting was attended by assembly members who brainstormed on a wide range of issues affecting the development of the metropolis.
Among such pertinent issues discussed were sanitation, revenue mobilisation, investment climate, and acquisition of land and its impact on investment flow.
He expressed regret that although measures were put in place to improve on the revenue situation in 2007, “we could not achieve our target, and should this trend continue, we might not achieve our target for 2008”.
The MCE further indicated that the management had organised a “retreat to analyse the revenue situation and the revelation was so disturbing that we have to strategise”.
According to him, the TAMA had decided to assess revenue areas and prioritise high-yielding revenue items, identify problems and challenges that militated against effective revenue collection, as well as map out strategies to maximise collection.
Mr Adam also expressed the determination of TAMA to involve “credible institutions such as banks to collect revenue for the assembly”.
He said the effective performance of any assembly depended to some extent on the performance of its sub structures.
“The establishment of such structures depends on how resourceful the assembly is in terms of personnel, office accommodation and facilities, including financial resources,” he pointed out.
The MCE expressed regret that although the TAMA had made several attempts to operationalise the sub structures, “we have not succeeded much in that direction”.
According to him, only two zonal councils were operating with the support of the Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP) and they were the Kalpohini and Kakpagyili councils.