Abura Dunkwa (C/R), July 29, GNA - The Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District Assembly, has collected GHC 87,764.43 last year thus exceeding the projected target of GHC66, 180 by 33 percent. Ms. Aba Edusah, the District Chief Executive, announced at the second ordinary meeting of the third session of the assembly at Abura Dunkwa on Tuesday.

The DCE said the assembly had generated GHC 29,388.42, representing 31.3 per cent of this year's target. Ms. Edusah said that the current performance was unsatisfactory adding that the trend was expected to improve in the second half of the year as it had been the case every year. She said revenue task force, would soon be formed to sensitize the people on the need to pay their taxes regularly and also ensure effective revenue mobilization. Ms. EdusahThe cautioned the assembly against overdependence on its common fund and urged revenue officers to work harder to collect more revenue for development. She appealed to assembly members to explain to the people the fee-fixing resolution passed so that they would corporate with revenue collectors.

Ms. Edusah said the assembly benefited from seven European Union (EU) projects in 2008, under the sixth micro-project Phase II with an amount of GHC96.191.70 allocated by the union. She said under the water and sanitation project, 33 boreholes, 9 hand-dug wells with pumps and 22 latrines had been provided and 12 boreholes had been rehabilitated in the district between 2005 and 2008. Ms. Edusah expressed concern about the fallen standards of education in the area and said with many untrained teachers pursuing distance education and sandwich programmes the situation could change. Ms. Aba Hagan, Presiding Member of the assembly announced that the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs had donated a citrus processing machine to the assembly to assist fruit farmers to add value to their produce.

She said a fruit processing company abandoned at Abakrampa was being rehabilitated. Ms Hagan expressed dissatisfaction about the exorbitant lorry fares been charged by drivers in the district and asked the Justice and Security sub-committee of the assembly to meet with the leadership of drivers unions to ensure that the rights fares were charged. 29 July 09