Shop owners outraged by GHC2,000 new AMA fees

Source: myjoyonline.com  -  Shop owners under the jurisdiction of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) are expected to pay GHC2,131 permit fee for their signage structures.

This means that shop owners who have their names or names of their shop in front of or posted anywhere around their shops will be made to pay for it....

The amount is different from a regular fee the shop owners pay for the use of spaces in the central business area.

The AMA said the names are a form of advertisement and as such the owners must pay for them.

Peace FMs’ Naana Entwi reports from Accra Central that shop owners in the area have expressed their discontent over the new fee.

Some of the owners who spoke to Naana said the current erratic power supply in the country has made it impossible for them so sell their wares; therefore they will not be able to pay the amount stated by the AMA.

They also said the signage fee was inappropriate and unnecessary.

Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Numo Blafo has however discounted the claims of the traders saying that the authority has not issued any letter demanding any such payment.

He said he has begun investigations into the source of the letter to ascertain its authenticity.

Meanwhile, Naana Entwi who had a copy of the letter from some of the traders during her interaction with them said the letter was addressed to the traders with the letter head of the AMA.

The letter was not signed but had a reference number of A 01515145 with an email address customersupport@amaau.com dated January 2, 2015.

The letter also had on it the AMA logo and a telephone number. Also on it was a National Investment Bank Account (Accra Main Branch) 100-0100704401 where shop owners are expected to pay the monies into.

The letter said “the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Signage and Advertisement Unit in accordance with the local government Act 1993 Act 462 section 64 wish to inform you that you are obligated to pay a yearly permit or renewal permit fee for your renewal signage structure as prescribed in AMA’s annual fee fixing resolution 2015.

“You are by this notice requested to renew your permit by paying the required fees within 30 days of your receipt of this notice in order to retain your signage”, it continued.

The letter also said any signage structure which does not adhere to the permit will be removed by the AMA.