The Association Palestinian of Local Authorities (APLA) held the first meeting of the Committee on Financial Relations with the Government, a specialized committee of the Local Government Unit (LGU) Mayors Forum. Convened at APLA offices in Ramallah, the meeting brought together the Mr. Robeen Al-Khatib, Committee President and Acting Mayor of Al-Bireh, as well as committee members Abdul Karim Sider, Mayor of Jericho, Salah Jaber, Mayor of Aqraba, Ahmed Atwan, Mayor of Kharas, Eng. Abdallah Anati, APLA Executive Director, and Eng. Abdul Mu’min Afaneh, Manager of APLA Technical Support Unit. 

The meeting focused on core financial issues related to the working relationship between LGUs and the government. Discussions covered the following:

• Property tax on buildings and land, including mechanisms for transferring municipal due fees.
• Collection of business license fees and methods for transferring revenues to LGUs.
• Road transport fees, including fines and penalties, and mechanisms for allocating relevant shares to municipalities.
• Clearance and accounting procedures between LGUs and the government, and development of clearer and more equitable mechanisms.
• Other financial entitlements owed to LGUs by the government, together with an institutional and regular follow-up process.