Mansa revenue base increases

Mansa Municipal Council is expected to raise over K3.2 billion from ratable properties in the district annually starting next year.

This is due to the increased value and number of ratable properties from K8.4 billion in 1993 to K182 billion in 2009, according to the newly approved valuation roll captured for ratable properties in the district.

In an interview with ZANIS today, Town Clerk Bwanga Kapumpa, said the council’s new approved evaluation roll will take effect from January 1, 2010.

Mr Kapumpa said the five-year term roll, which will expire in 2015, has captured 3,242 new properties from 2008 from 660 captured in 1993 when the last evaluation roll was compiled.

The council had never revised the 1993 valuation roll which captured only 660 properties and managed to collect less than K130 million on rates annually.

Mr Kapumpa said to date the council has been applying the 1993 Valuation Roll which only captured 660 ratable properties, leading to a loss of revenue from rates on new properties which were not captured.

The Rating Act only allows the council to include and collect rates on new properties after the previous valuation roll is revised and approved by the rating tribunal.

“We applied to have our 2008 evaluation roll approved to include new ratable properties in accordance with the Rating Act and I am glad that the new valuation roll has been approved by the rating tribunal chaired by Dr Overs Banda, and it will take effect from January 1, 2010,” Mr. Kapumpa said.

And Mr Kapumpa has said because of the widened rate base, the council will recapture its loss of revenue suffered from the sale of its houses in 1996 by government.

He said the council suffered from loss of revenue when its housing units were sold to sitting tenants who had been paying rentals.

“Our council, just like others, suffered from the transfer of ownership or sale of housing units to sitting tenants but we are going to reverse that through collection of rates on these properties instead of rentals as we used to do,” Mr Kapumpa said.

He said the council had failed to efficiently provide local services in the district due to insufficient funds.

ZANIS