Sunday, March 7, 2010

DON'T SEE PAYMENT OF TAX AS PUNISHMENT (PAGE 22, MARCH 6, 2010)

SMALL-scale businesses in the communities have been urged not to see payment of tax as punishment, but as the only means of financing social infrastructure across the country.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Mr Daniel K. Eshun, who made the call, said revenue generation was central to the execution of more development projects in deprived communities.
He made the call at Tandan, a small community in the district, at a meeting with the people to explain the essence of revenue mobilisation to them and solve a misunderstanding resulting from revenue collection in the area.
Mr Eshun said by law, every income-generating activity in the country attracted some form of tax to help the government to implement its development programme.
He noted that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) alone was insufficient for the assembly to provide the numerous needs of the communities.
The DCE, therefore, appealed to the people not to dodge the payment of revenue.
Mr Eshun stated that apart from the tax issues, major problems confronting the development of the district included chieftaincy disputes.
The DCE also met with Ankobrah, Asanda and Aiyinase communities, where payment of revenue was also a problem.
He impressed upon them to pay their taxes regularly, stressing that they would, among other things, help the district assembly to provide the various communities with development projects.
During open forums, the Odikro of the community, Ezah Kwame IV, who presented the community’s petition to the DCE, said the assembly should find a new way of educating people on taxes.
He said most of the people who were employed to collect revenue for the assembly were reportedly extorting money from people and noted that such practice would make some taxpayers unviling tax.

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