Northwest Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique Deben Tchoffo, has prohibited the Bali, Batibo and Widikum Councils from collecting Council Transit Tax, reasons being that the road is a Trans-African Highway.
This message fell like a bombshell on Councilors of the Batibo Council who were attending the extraordinary session convened October 2, at the Council hall.
The Mayor of the Batibo Council, Tanjoh Tetu, told Councilors that in one of the Mayors’ meeting that held recently in Bamenda, the Northwest Governor summoned those of them who are along this Bamenda-Enugu Nigeria highway and issued the banning order.
“He told us to desist from mounting Council Transit Tollgates because this road does not belong to these Councils.” Mayor Tanjoh said this was a bitter pill to swallow and urged Councilors to go home and brainstorm on the issue.
One of the Councilors who took the rostrum said there was no need to think before coming back, but for the Council to respect the ban while thinking of relocating the tollgates elsewhere within the municipality.
“This has been the main source of Council revenue and this decision by the Governor will render this Council bankrupt because it is a real calamity coming on the heels of reduction in the global tax by 50 percent from the same Government that expects Councils to carryout development projects,” remarked Barrister Eric Mbah.
Mayor Tanjoh, in his speech, said salary arrears owed Council workers have been paid, but for the huge pension debt which he has succeeded in reducing by FCFA 1.4 million from FCFA 25 million. Of the more than FCFA 94 million debts owed some contractors, the Mayor said the Council could only pay FCFA 15 million due to liquidity problems.
Projects realised by the Council include; roofing sheets to GSS Angie, GS Batibo, rehabilitation of the Batibo-Ambo Road and opening of the Numben Road, support to Njen Development Committee road project and clearing of garbage at the Guzang Market.
Concerning Public Investment Projects, he listed, classrooms, benches, distribution of minimum packages to schools and rehabilitation of the Ewoh Agric-Post. The Council equally reduced taxes paid by commercial motorbike riders from FCFA 20.000 to FCFA 10.000 and other taxes.
Mayor Tanjoh expressed the wish to see all tax payers fulfill their own side of the bargain now that the taxes have been reduced by 50 percent.
The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Momo, Justin Dieudonne Ngong, lauded the efforts of the Mayor in clearing all salary arrears owed workers and development projects realised in less than a year in office. He urged the Council to redouble efforts in recovering Council taxes.
The SDO said the fight against Boko Haram and the preventive measures to bar the entry of Ebola virus into the country should be on the Council’s agenda.
