Norsaac, a civil society organisation (CSO), has called for stronger coordination, transparency and accountability in property rate administration and collection to help Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) increase internally generated revenue.
The organisation said property rates remained an important source of Internally-Generated Funds (IGF) for MMDAs, but weaknesses in administration, collection, taxpayer compliance and accountability continued to limit their revenue potential.
Norsaac made the call at a high-level multi-stakeholder dialogue on strengthening property rate administration and collection in Ghana, held in Tamale.
The dialogue brought together representatives of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), civil society organisations, development partners, youth networks, the media and other stakeholders working on taxation, local governance and accountability.
Hajia Hafsatu Sey Sumani, Head of Programmes and Policy Influencing at Norsaac, said the dialogue was aimed at reviewing recent reforms in property rate administration, identifying outstanding challenges and building consensus on practical measures to improve revenue mobilisation.
She said Norsaac was using the platform to share evidence and lessons from its property rate interventions, taxpayer education activities and youth and media engagement on tax accountability.
Hajia Sumani said the discussions would also draw on the experiences of partner organisations to inform the development of a Norsaac-led position paper on improving property rate administration, collection and accountability.
Digitisation And Better Data Management
She said the dialogue would enable stakeholders to assess the implementation of recent reforms, including the digitisation of property databases, while identifying policy, institutional and operational challenges affecting effective property rate collection.
“We want to move beyond discussions to practical and actionable recommendations with clear ownership and follow-through,” she said.
Hajia Sumani underscored the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, MMDAs, CSOs, the media and citizens to improve taxpayer compliance and strengthen accountability in local revenue mobilisation.
Madam Olivia Hanny of the MLGCRA said property rates remained an important source of IGF for MMDAs, although challenges in administration, accountability and implementation continued to undermine their effectiveness.
She said addressing those challenges required effective coordination among institutions involved in property rate administration and a clear understanding of their respective responsibilities.
Madam Hanny reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to providing policy direction and guidance to MMDAs on local government financing and property rate administration.
Partnerships Key To Improving Compliance
Miss Dorcas Awonnate Adaawen, Youth Education and Gender Officer at Oxfam in Ghana, stressed the importance of partnerships among government institutions, CSOs, development partners, the media and youth groups in strengthening property rate administration.
She said sustained collaboration and public education were essential to improving citizens’ understanding of their tax obligations and promoting accountability in the use of local revenue.
Mr Hamdan Wumpeka Amadu, Northern Regional Coordinator of Activista Ghana, commended Norsaac and its partners for organising the dialogue.
He said such engagements provided important platforms for stakeholders to share experiences and develop practical solutions to challenges affecting local revenue mobilisation.
Participants at the dialogue agreed on the need for practical measures to improve policy implementation, taxpayer education and compliance, property valuation and data management, collection efficiency and accountability.
They also called for clearly defined institutional responsibilities and stronger collaboration to ensure that reforms in property rate administration translated into increased revenue for MMDAs and improved development outcomes at the local level.
