An automatic 16.5
percent striped off from Councilors’ seating allowance witnessed recently
following a new law on taxes stating in clear terms that hence all seating
allowances are taxed and collected immediately the Councilors sign to collect their
dues at the counters. This news fell like a bomb shell during the belated 2014
administrative, management and stores account session that held last Thursday
June 11 at council conference hall supervised by the Senior Divisional Officer
for Donga Mantung Ngone Ndode Mesape Bernard.
When Mayor Bunyuy
Emmanuel Nyugab announced to his fellow councilors that a new law has been
enacted to tax the meager seating allowance, the friendly looks on their faces
disappeared. Councilors started questioning why the Parliamentarians should be
so egoistic and would not relent in pressing an increase on their whopping
salaries yet would not question or raise any objection on the 16.5 percent cut
on seating allowance. According to Martin Fon Yembe, the first deputy mayor who
is advocating that councilors be paid salaries, this move by the
parliamentarians across the board has just proven their selfish interest. This
does not speak well of the lawmakers on whom the grass-root look up to for good
laws.
The councilors were
further advised by the taxation official to also ensure that they regularize
various land tax or else when they would be seeking another mandate at any
election the accrued sum shall be cumulatively collected. In as much as
councilors already owe two years land tax following the last declaration, it is
easier and less burdensome to pay this land tax annually than wait for the last
minute to pay all. He said. This further sent chills down their spines given
that the councilors had not settled with the issue of 16.5 percent cut on their
seating allowance.
Councilors deliberated
on the realization of 2014 to ensure that what were recorded are actually what
have been realized in the field. From the presentation there was a clear
distinction of council projects executed and those coming from the central
administration to jumbling up the projects. Under the council executed
projects, a good number of roads were graded and culverts constructed, market
sheds constructed, Installed solar street lamps, Fenced the grandstand and gave
a face lift to the council chambers, acquired a tricycle to evacuate refuse,
Completed feasibility studies to set up (a) a municipal radio (b) portable and
irrigation water for Ndu (c) tarring of some main streets (d) set up municipal
ranch (e) set up a poultry and (d) a water bottling plant. To revamp the
gradual lose of the culture of the people an economic and cultural forum was
organized. Some 100 students had holiday jobs and 200 students equally had
scholarship and 30 volunteers support staff were engaged in to basic education.
On the Public investment budget projects executed were; road maintenance,
bridge constructed, four classrooms were constructed, rehabilitation of
classrooms took place in five villages, water sources in Talla and Sehna were
rehabilitated and some 5000 trees planted at water catchments, 60 benches and
pedagogic materials were supplied to government primary schools. On sanitation
and hygiene which became topical during deliberation, the Mayor called on the
population to foster the culture of hand washing given that for a start some
water troughs have been installed on the main street in the Ndu town and that
each household should possess a waste bag or a basket for easy disposal of
these refuse. The councilors were charged to sensitize the population on
changing habits and to ensure that a clean and safe environment in the order of
day in Ndu municipality. On the over all the Councilors deliberated and adopted
the 2014 administrative and management account that stood at FCFA 389.7 million
in revenue and FCFA 385.5 million in expenditure with a balance carried forward
of FCFA 4.2 million.
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