By Arret Jatta
Dembo SN Sanneh, Director of Compliance at the KanifingMunicipal Council (KMC) revealed in his testimony at the ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry (LGCI) on Tuesday 17th September that sometimes, revenue is uncollected.
“When we have reports, we will sit with revenue collectors, I can remember the former acting Director of Finance we sat with him (and others) and they confronted us that what we reported was incorrect. So, you can see that the job we are doing is a big responsibility. So, all the time I say revenue is being uncollected,” he said.
He said if the number of businesses that are given to them is in place then the revenue collected will be more than what is usually collected and that is the reason he goes to the field and double check.
“For example, I visit 100 businesses in a week and you will discover that it is only 20 people that are given invoices,” among them, he further explained to the Commission.
Mr. Sanneh disclosed that his budgetary allocation was removed from the system.
“If you as the director of finance can dictate this do you not think the people tasked with the responsibility of collecting revenue would have been in the same position to do so? Sometimes it is not a mistake but by design,” the lead counsel asked.
He responded, “Yes, for the past four or five weeks we were able to go to the field, and over a million was recovered,” he added.
He disclosed further that when they have a report they sit with revenue collectors, “I can remember the former acting director of finance we sat with them and they confronted us that what we report was incorrect.”.