The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Nana Adjei-Boateng has advised church embers to be as regular with their taxes to the state as they are regular in fulfilling their tithes obligations to the church.

The Mayor's words comes as Christians prepare for the Christmas festivities which has been described by many as the harvest period for churches with billions of tax free income expected to be collected from several crusades and services at various churches countrywide.

But while many Christians have been willing to pay their tithes or donate generously at church offertories, there have been a great deal of reluctance to pay up to the tax men for the development of the nation.

"I can tell you that as at last Friday, most companies and self employed individuals up and down the country had not filed their tax returns for their end-of year assessment since 2001. Yet you will find them running on their pastor's prompting to pay and pray to the church for their businesses to prosper and the HIPC situation to ease next year.

"I think their pastors with arms widely opened for offerings should also remind them that God helps a nation whose citizens help the nation, William Amoako Attah who works with one of the country's tax collection agencies said.

The Koforidua Municipal Chief Executive sparked the tax debate when he addressed the Seventh Day Adventist Church at the 10th anniversary of the New Life Branch in Koforidua.