VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has tasked the Local Government Authorities (LGAs) to intensify efforts in revenue collection, particularly by creating users-friendly electronic systems to mitigate bureaucracy.
Dr Mpango issued the directive at the occasion to grace the 2022 the 36th congress of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT) in Mbeya City yesterday.
“LGAs must be efficient and come up with innovations that will help to increase revenue collection,” said Dr Mpango.
He also challenged the LGAs leaders to install friendly electronic systems, which will enhance revenue collection, check bureaucracy as well as effectively manage spending of public funds.
“I urge chairmen and mayors of the councils to closely manage the execution of the development projects, as well as expenditure of the disbursed funds for the projects in their councils,” he said.
He has also urged the councillors to plug loopholes of loss of revenues and ensure that procurement laws and regulations are adhered too.
Dr Mpango tasked the local governments to increase their own source revenues, which will help provide the councils with more resources to meet growing demands for local expenditures on healthcare, roads, water and other local government services.
He said providing services with locally generated revenues enhances the local government’s social contract with its citizens, building a culture of tax compliance as the price paid for a well-functioning local government.
The theme of the three-day gathering focuses on efficient collection and spending of local authorities’ revenues as the basis of sustainable development for the people.
The Vice-President has also called on the local government leaders to strictly supervise and enforce the ban imposed by the government on plastic bags usage in the country. He directed them to conduct regular operations in their areas of jurisdictions to ensure people comply with the order.
The Plastic Bags Ban Act came into effect from 1 June 2019. The ban affects all types of plastic bags regardless of their thickness (including cling film or plastic wrap) and implies fines.
The ban, however, does not apply to medicines, items in plastic packages preserving their quality and zip-lock bags for personal hygiene kits or documents (on condition that they are not thrown away on the territory of Tanzania).
Dr Mpango also implored the leaders to ensure regular cleanness operations were conducted countrywide regularly.
For his part, Deputy Minister in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Dr Festo Dugange said the docket has increased the revenue collection from 800bn/- to 1.03tri/- during the 2021/2022 financial year.
He also urged all council leaders to continue motivating wananchi to participate in various development activities in order to have sustainable projects.
Meanwhile, Dr Mpango has instructed the Ministry of Works and Transport to fast-track completion of the bypass road at Inyala hill at Shamwengo village in Mbeya Region, whose construction is geared toward mitigating accidents that occur frequently in the area.
The development comes after the VP visited the area where two accidents occurred recently, killing at least 25 people.
“The construction of this bypass stretching 2.5 kilometers should be completed in time in order to mitigate accidents in this area,” Dr Mpango said.
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