Museveni speaks out on teachers' salaries

By Vision Reporter

President Yoweri Museveni has spoken out on the issue of increasing pay for the teachers, judicial officers and public servants in the security field, outlining how the Government plans to deal with the matter.

In a detailed statement issued on Tuesday, the President also explained the Government’s tax policy and defended the imposition of taxes on water and kerosene.

“Everybody in Uganda needs to be reminded that the NRM never taxes production activities. We never tax machinery for factories coming into the country, raw materials, scholastic materials, medicine and agriculture. We only tax luxurious consumption — beer, perfumes, cigarettes and petrol,” the President noted.

“We added bottled water, kerosene and a few others this year because they are consumer items and we need money to build roads, dams and other items of infrastructure mentioned above,” Museveni added in a statement.

“If we do not expand the revenue base by attracting and retaining investments, how then shall we pay better salaries and develop more infrastructure?,” Museveni wondered.

He said the Government plans to use the additional revenue that will be generated during the next financial year (2014-2015) to “deal with the additional priorities such as the pay for judicial officers, teachers, public servants in the security field and scientists.”

He said this financial year, the Government’s priority will be investment in infrastructure — roads and electricity.