Everybody must contribute to education
Nov 04, 2009
EDITOR—I am glad the Government is considering enabling students from poor families to access university education. The idea of giving loans may be complicated considering the level of corruption in Uganda.
EDITOR—I am glad the Government is considering enabling students from poor families to access university education. The idea of giving loans may be complicated considering the level of corruption in Uganda.
The intended students to benefit might suffer at the hands of corrupt officials. I suggest an easier and cheaper alternative where every Ugandan, including the students, will contribute to their education. This is by indirectly taxing everyone without imposing any significant extra burden. First of all, we need to scrap Government sponsorship for all students.
Secondly, we need to set up a university education fund commitee within the Ministry of Education. The officers on this committee will continue to be remunerated and facilitated by the Public Service without encroaching on the University Education Fund.
The revenue collected for this purpose should be used only for paying tuition and accommodation at the university for all qualifying students. This account will have only two transactions: receiving revenue, and paying fees to universities (public and private).
The Uganda Revenue Authority can collect this tax from source while the producers/importers are filling in forms for taxation. Using the technology we have today, at the point of filling in the forms, the amount received is communicated to the University Education Fund, and URA immediately upon receiving this money will remit it to the University Education Fund. This money can be generated as follows:
Tax fuel: If we can use 600,000 litres of petrol and diesel every day and we charge sh10 per litre, we can generate sh2.19b per year.
This extra charge of sh10 will not be felt by anyone, not even one buying 1,000 litres a day. Tax alcohol. Every unit of alcohol should attract a tax of sh100. Tax cigarettes and any other form of tobacco. At sh300 on every packet every day, in a year we generate sh1,095,000,000. The taxation can go on like that. Everybody should contribute to the education of Ugandans.
There are many other products which can be taxed a little without enriching the corrupt officials who have already started planning how they will embezzle the loans funds!
Francis Sseremba Kampala
The intended students to benefit might suffer at the hands of corrupt officials. I suggest an easier and cheaper alternative where every Ugandan, including the students, will contribute to their education. This is by indirectly taxing everyone without imposing any significant extra burden. First of all, we need to scrap Government sponsorship for all students.
Secondly, we need to set up a university education fund commitee within the Ministry of Education. The officers on this committee will continue to be remunerated and facilitated by the Public Service without encroaching on the University Education Fund.
The revenue collected for this purpose should be used only for paying tuition and accommodation at the university for all qualifying students. This account will have only two transactions: receiving revenue, and paying fees to universities (public and private).
The Uganda Revenue Authority can collect this tax from source while the producers/importers are filling in forms for taxation. Using the technology we have today, at the point of filling in the forms, the amount received is communicated to the University Education Fund, and URA immediately upon receiving this money will remit it to the University Education Fund. This money can be generated as follows:
Tax fuel: If we can use 600,000 litres of petrol and diesel every day and we charge sh10 per litre, we can generate sh2.19b per year.
This extra charge of sh10 will not be felt by anyone, not even one buying 1,000 litres a day. Tax alcohol. Every unit of alcohol should attract a tax of sh100. Tax cigarettes and any other form of tobacco. At sh300 on every packet every day, in a year we generate sh1,095,000,000. The taxation can go on like that. Everybody should contribute to the education of Ugandans.
There are many other products which can be taxed a little without enriching the corrupt officials who have already started planning how they will embezzle the loans funds!
Francis Sseremba Kampala