Accra, July 12, GNA - Mr Stanley Adjiri Blankson, Mayor of Accra, on Monday urged business operators in the Metropolis to secure business permits before operating in the Metropolis.

He said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Bye-law empowered the AMA to close down any business or suspend its activities until the permit fee was paid.

Mr Blankson was addressing temporary revenue mobilization squad in Accra made up of students selected from tertiary institutions. The squad would comb business enterprises in the capital city to detect whether they are operating with a permit.

Security Personnel would supervise the two-week exercise and arrest defaulters.

He said the exercise would help AMA to develop an accurate database for businesses in the city and improve upon revenue mobilisation. It would also serve as vacation employment for the students.

Mr Blankson noted that all big businesses were located in Accra yet revenue collected yearly were woefully inadequate and attributed this to an ineffective revenue collection mechanism.

He said AMA was not self-sufficient and depended largely on Government subvention to meet it operational budget.

The Mayor urged the students not to show sympathy to any illegal business operator, saying AMA was relying on their effort in its bid to meet its revenue target.

Mr Blankson promised the students a bonus if they achieved maximum result. 12 July 04