Samia rails at laxity in revenue collection

 
VICE president Samia Suluhu Hassan has underscored the need for councils to collect property tax as own sources of revenue instead of complaining about shortages of budgetary funds, a situation that stymies development project implementation.

The Vice-President said this yesterday when opening a modern abattoir in the city of Mwanza. She pointed out that the Fifth Phase Government does not support nor encourage councils to become beggars while there are many opportunities that can generate funds. 

 

“I do not accept this habit of begging and complaining by local government entities in terms of city and municipal councils which always see their budget as inadequate,” said Ms Samia. She also warned city and municipal council executives against pocketing government funds.

She warned that the government would not hesitate to take stern action against officials who enrich themselves out of state funds. The vice-president insisted that people should be encouraged to work hard and bring about the desired development.

She added that the government is serious on this matter as it is keen on fulfilling all the electoral promises it made to the public. In another development, the vice president advised Ilemela Municipality officials to observe ethics at their work stations. When inaugurating the modern Abattoir at Mandu in Nyamagana District, Ms Samia noted that the municipal council must engage a good management team that will implement the project fully, supervising revenues collection without cheating.

She said that the Abattoir was a big project that was funded by the Lake Victoria environmental project (LVEMP) Phase II to deal with environmental cleanliness in order to rescue Lake Victoria and Nyashishi River.

Globally, wetlands are recognised as important ecosystems providing essential goods and services. They regulate water flow, recharge ground water, store and release water, filter nutrients and other pollutants, stabilise shoreline and microclimate and are of exceptional importance as habitats supporting biodiversity.

Wetland habitats are also of high economic importance for provision of water and fisheries and thus supporting livelihoods to riparian and wetland-dependent communities.

Globally, wetlands are recognised as important ecosystems providing essential goods and services. They regulate water flow, recharge ground water, store and release water, filter nutrients and other pollutants, stabilise shoreline and microclimate and are of exceptional importance as habitats supporting biodiversity.

Wetland habitats are also of high economic importance for provision of water and fisheries and thus supporting livelihoods to riparian and wetland-dependent communities. Despite the myriad of benefits that they provide, wetlands continue to be drained at an alarming rate, to provide space for agriculture, human settlement and urban development among other competing developmental needs.

These changes have had significant and deleterious effects to wetland ecosystems and the people depending on them due to pollution and the resultant loss of important ecosystem goods and services.

Given the fragility and vulnerability of many wetlands, there is an urgent need to strike a balance between the environmental functioning and wetland use for livelihood support. This requires management systems that take cognisance of the wetland ecosystems’ natural characteristics while also allowing for their wise use.

Such management regimes must be aligned to the Ramsar Convention’s (1971) wise-use principle, which also requires development and implementation of Integrated Wetland Management Plans ((IWMPs).

The Minister for Water and Irrigation, Mr Garson Lwenje said that environmental management project was made in order to conserve environment and rescue Lake Victoria so that it cannot wither way.

He said the maintenance of Abattoir project that is estimated to cost over 3 bn/- Mwanza city council contributed 2bn/-. The Abattoir maintenance has taken 1.7bn/-apart from other project infrastructures.