Tax base is the problem!

SIR—It is very annoying that politicians in Uganda continue lying to the citizens about the economic situation in the country. There was a 5% tax imposed on secondhand clothes. The official explanation was that it was aimed at protecting local textile industries. The fact is that the tax has nothing to do with protecting local industries, which are not there anyway! The truth is that there is too narrow a tax base and therefore anything and everything under the sun must be taxed. The tragedy in this kind of mentality is that it is the same citizens who keep taking the brunt of selfish decisions. For example, the budget is silent about salary increment for civil and public servants but the tax increment for the same people had already gone up even before the budget! This is against the background that MPs had already decided what was good for them and others even wanted more! What is Uganda’s GDP and what is our income per capita that politicians should feel entitled to such obscene increments in a sea of poverty? Shall we carry on like this?Jeniffer NkwanziKampala