Today at Takoradi, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is anticipated to resume its hearing on zone 4, which will cover the Central and Western Regions.
After reviewing the Report of the Auditor-General on the administration and use of District Assemblies Common Fund and Other Statutory Funds for the year 2021 and the Accounts of District Assemblies for the year 2021, the Committee concluded its public hearing in Ho in the Volta Region.
Yussif Sulemana, a member of the Public Accounts Committee who also serves as the member of parliament for Bole Bamboi, gave Citi News an overview of the committee’s weekly agenda.
“We are supposed to start a section in Takoradi…and we are expecting all the MMDAs within Central and Western region who have been cited in the Auditor’s report for the year 2022 to appear before us.
“We are also expecting all Senior High Schools who have been cited in the report to also appear before us coming from all these regions I have mentioned. Again, other universities that have been mentioned that have not appeared at our sittings in Accra will also appear,” he stated.
He said the Public Accounts Committee has been vital in ensuring the recovery of funds misappropriated by state agencies.
“If you look at payment rate in terms of people who were supposed to pay monies that they haven’t paid mostly by the time we invite them they come to tell lies that they have paid and so government is getting so much money from those infractions that were identified.”
“There are instances where district assemblies will withhold taxes and will not remit the taxes. By the time they get to us, the story is that oh I have remitted the money and so the government is getting money. In some cases, they even fail to withhold the tax and I can tell you some of them are being surcharged to pay.” he stated.