Saturday, November 6, 2010

NON-PAYMENT OF BOPS AFFECTS STMA'S REVENUE (PAGE 18, OCT 30, 2010)

OFFICES of seventy-seven companies operating in the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Area are likely to be closed down for defaulting in payment of their 2010 Business Operating Permits (BOPs).
A defaulters’ list made available to the Daily Graphic show that the companies are owing amounts ranging between GH¢1,200 to GH¢12,000 which have accumulated to the tune of GH¢338,431.50 making it impossible for the assembly to raise enough money internally to support its development projects.
The advertising unit of the assembly has also threatened to prosecute telecommunication companies which have failed to pay fines and penalties amounting to about GH¢258,000 imposed on them for painting private residential facilities with their colours and logos.
The Acting Public Relations Officer of the assembly, Mr Opoku Boateng, said the assembly’s bye-laws stipulated that “the assembly may close down any business or suspend its activities until the appropriate fee is paid for the grant of a permit for the operation of businesses.”
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Sekondi, the Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Mr Zakaria Abdulai, said failure to pay those debts was affecting the assembly’s internally generated fund.
He said the assembly expected all those, who were supposed to pay taxes and all other forms of levies to the assembly, to do so to ensure the mobilisation of funds for the assembly’s projects.
He explained that aside from the common fund of the assembly, it depended so much on its internally generated funds for the execution of projects to meet the expectation of the people.
The acting public relations officer, therefore urged the defaulters to pay their Business Operating Permits and fines in support of the assembly’s revenue generation efforts.

No comments: