Lack of budget hampering MCDC: mayor
Mandalay City’s municipal authority is staring at a long development to-do list, and a lack of funds to do it with, the mayor told regional lawmakers last week. Improving Myanmar’s second-biggest city will depend on finances, U Ye Lwin, mayor and head of Mandalay City Development Committee, said at the fourth day of the third parliamentary session. But without boosting tax revenue, the local administration has its hands tied, he added. His remarks were made in response to a projected Master Plan for Mandalay. “According to the current budget allocation, we would have to prioritise work mainly for one township or one ward, but we cannot operate like that,” he said. “If we follow the Master Plan, we are talking about repairing electric lines, water pipes, installing a dam system and other projects for the whole city. To do this, we have to fix tax collection.”
