Koforidua, Aug. 3, GNA - The New Juaben Municipal Assembly (NJMA) has adopted far reaching measures aimed at injecting greater efficiency and accountability in its revenue mobilization efforts. The measures involved the reshuffling of revenue collectors, setting targets for them and regular monitoring of their operations. Others included updating of the revenue data, formation of Market Management Committees for the main markets as well as using regular taskforces to monitor collections.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Nana Kwasi Adjei Boateng, who outlined the measures at the Second Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly at Koforidua on Monday, appealed to the Assembly members and the Zonal Councils to assist in monitoring and reporting on the operations of Revenue Collectors in their electoral areas and zones.

Giving an overview of the revenue position of the Assembly, he announced that as at June, this year, the Assembly had been able to collect only about 1.8 billion cedis out of the projected 4.1 billion cedis, representing about 43 per cent, saying for the same time last year, 0.9 billion cedis or 24 per cent had been collected out of the estimated 3.7 billion cedis. He said a private company, Messrs A5 Consult engaged to collect property rate had collected 813 million cedis after five months of operation.

Nana Adjei Boateng announced that so far, the Assembly had received 2.541 billion cedis as its share of outstanding District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) and 4.15 billion from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) fund with 250 million cedis of it as Health Insurance support. He briefed the Assembly on the three new laws passed by Parliament last year, the Financial Administration Act, the Internal Audit Agency Act and the Public Purchasing Act.

The Presiding Member, Ms Beatrice Bernice Boateng, in her welcoming address, urged the members to encourage their relatives and friends to embrace and register for the Municipal Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. She stressed the need to instil discipline among the people in order to maintain the peace in the country before, during and after the elections.