Prime
Pay taxes to avoid donor dependence - Museveni
L-R: Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, URA board member Gerald Sendaula and Commissioner General Doris Akol cheer Comedian Herbert Mendo Segujja. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA
What you need to know:
Backed. 25% of the 2014/15 national Budget was donor funded.
Kampala. President Museveni wants the population to promptly pay taxes so as to liberate the country from donor dependence.
With everybody contributing to the national coffers, the President, represented by the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, said the country will be able to fully finance its national budget, a feat that will secure the country’s total independence.
Donor budget support has been a permanent fixture despite the fact that the country has been an independent state for the last 53 years.
According to the 2014/15 financial year budget, about 25 per cent of the national budget was donor funded.
Quoting former Tanzania president Julius Nyerere, President Museveni in his speech read by Dr Rugunda, said: “Independence cannot be real if a country depends on gifts. I call upon the informal sector to comply with their tax obligations.”
“I urge you to pay taxes so that we can secure independence of our country and we move away from depending on donors,” Dr Rugunda told the crowd that attended the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) tax payers’ day code named; Omugano gwa URA (bumper harvest) celebrations at Namboole National Stadium on Sunday.
He also applauded the taxpayers for progressive tax collection that saw them register their biggest revenue surplus in years.
Ms Doris Akol, the URA commissioner general, said they have embarked on tapping into the informal sector where they hope to register 500,000 new taxpayers.
“We have embarked on several programmes to achieve this target. URA staff have been moving in the last 30 days making courtesy calls to companies to get feedback and register new taxpayers. I appeal to all Ugandans who have been paying taxes to volunteer and register with us.”
She added: “Uganda belongs to all of us and no one is going to develop it for us. Let us grow together as we develop our country.”
Ms Akol justified the Shs800 million put into the event as worth it considering the gains -luring informal segment into the formal tax bracket.
She said: “We were expecting 100,000 people to attend, register them and see how we can make follow ups to have them aboard the taxation brackets.”
Meanwhile, the event also saw several taxpayers and strategic partners recognised for their roles. They include NTV senior business reporter Mr Samuel Ssettumba, Tax Reporter of the year, Jacqueline Kobusingye, Life time Achiever, among others.
For strategic Partners, individual award went to Hajji Katimbo Kikuubo, association award to Construction and Hardware Dealers Association and the government one to Vision Group.
