Legislators queried the legality of taking away councils’ income sources

Some legislators have demanded explanations from the government why it has abruptly taken away some resource incomes from the district councils in the country, and left some of the councils stay in dull without enough incomes to enable them run smoothly with their daily economic developments. The legislators are the Handeni constituency legislator Omar Abdalah Kigoda (CCM), Mlalo constituency legislator Rashid Shangazi (CCM), Tabora urban legislator Emmanuel Adam Mwakasaka (CCM). The legislators jointly wanted to know why the government had taken away some of the major income sources which it had entirely depended on such as property tax which currently is being charged by Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) on behalf of central government countrywide and many others. Responding to this question, the deputy minister for Local Government and Regional Administration George Kakunda noted that, the government had a proper planning schedule which aims at increasing incomes into government coffers. He further noted that, in spite of having fewer revenues collected in district council levels, still the government requires the district executives to set aside 10 percent from their collections and direct the money to the youths and women fund as this is mandatory. However, the deputy minister noted that, the implementation of this seems to be slacking and is not effective and even the reimbursements have been an uphill task to some people who borrows the money. 

The deputy minister for Local Government and Regional Administration George Kakunda 

On the issue of increasing subsidies to those councils which under performs due to fewer incomes sources, the deputy minister noted that, the government has taken it as an advice and would present it in its various committee meetings in order to see how it could work for the interests of the people. On the issue of the loans for groups which one legislator has asked that is being done on discriminatory basis, the deputy minister has issued a directive to the district council authorities to make sure that, once they have issued a loan to a certain group, in the coming year should they give priority to other groups that missed in the previous year. In due course, as the government is looking at the possibility on how to save the ailing district councils in the country which have deteriorated in terms of financial gain, should they sit together with their councilors to deliberate such shortfalls of their collections in a bid to maximize efforts into making them survive for the time being.