Dauda Issaku Saari, the Bolgatanga Municipal Budget Officer is severely displeased with the attitude of ‘cando’ operators within the Municipality. Mr. Saari explained that despite several attempts by the Assembly to levy or tax the operations of the said individuals, they [the operators] continually find ways of avoiding mandatory payments.
This came to light when the Budget Officer, the Municipal Finance Officer, Alhaji Sheriff Adams and the MCE, Rex Asanga spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show about the Assembly’s improved strategies to generate revenues internally.
Mr Saari said it has become important for the Assembly to come up with ingenious ways of raising revenues to support local development. This he said can only be done if residents, business owners, commercial drivers et al buy into the new ideas and pay what is required of them.
He said the Assembly, from today, Thursday, May 19, 2022, would begin the collections of fees for a standardized vehicle sticker that allows commercial and private vehicle operators to operate within the municipality.
The Municipal Budget Officer said the exercise has been sanctioned by the MCE, Rex Asanga.
“Come Thursday, we will be back on the road again, to collect [our monies] for stickers for motors, candos and other vehicles. We are sending a strong signal that at this point, we have given enough education, we have given enough notices and we are not going to take any excuses; particularly from our cando brothers. They have given us so many excuses.”
“What they are paying is a rate on the candos. Even up to now, many of them dodge our collectors at the station; particularly those who load at the station. To even pay Ghc1 for the whole day’s activity, many of them are dodging. Come Thursday, our officers would be going around, if you do not pay the Ghc30, you will not move your cando. We are not going to compromise on that,” he said,
The Assembly would also begin the collection of fees on billboards dotted across the Municipality soon. Mr Saari explained that the collection of fees would be subject to renewal every six months.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
