Performance of local councils in the collection of revenue in Bangladesh

Local councils in Bangladesh have been provided with several sources of revenue that can be utilized for the maintenance of the councils, as well as the initiation of developmental projects. The union and upazila level councils have fared miserably in collection of such revenue. An examination of twelve upazilas during 1986–90 demonstrates that their performance has been affected by a lack of administrative support for the task, a dearth of adequate knowledge and skills on the part of local leaders and a failure to plan carefully on the part of the government. The Ordinances through which they have been established did not identify realistic sources of revenue nor did they provide guidelines on their utilization. Consequently, collection of revenue is done in an arbitrary and disorganized manner. It is recommended that adequate and appropriate administrative structures are developed and that proper training is provided to enhance the knowledge and skills of local leaders and to enable the councils to perform the task of revenue collection efficiently. Some suggestions are presented to utilize properly the market facilities, which appear to be highly potent sources for the generation of revenue.