URA designs new strategy to fight smuggling in West Nile

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ARUA - In a bid to curb the rampant smuggling being witnessed in the West Nile region, the Uganda Revenue Authority has designed a new strategy to tackle the vice.

In the new strategy, the tax body has intensified tax education through the introduction of customs tax Barazas.

The customs tax Barazas see the URA using existing structures of different stakeholders like the business community, bodaboda associations, and security among others aimed at listening to their grievances, challenges and the way forward to improve compliance.

One such Baraza was organized in Arua City on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, where the tax body interfaced with the different stakeholders on ways to legalize businesses and minimize smuggling.

Simon Tumwesigye, the manager Customs Enforcement and Border Control Northern Uganda (URA) says they target to collect over sh 32 billion at different customs points in Northern Uganda.

Tumwesigye revealed that the key items being smuggled in the region include fuel, rice, cooking oil, sugar, powdered milk and numberless motorcycles among others as efforts have been made to create tax awareness.

“When you look at all these items, they are items that attract high taxes and we are doing everything possible to make sure that we suppress smuggling and one of the ways we are doing that is by engaging the taxpayers in customs Baraza’s and we want to make them engage in formal businesses”, Said Tumwesigye.

Tumwesigye added that the country loses billions to smuggling in Northern Uganda through the various porous borders thereby denying the citizens various essential services.

Stakeholders present their issues during the customs tax baraza in Arua City. (Credit: Robert Adiga)

The URA supervisor in charge of stakeholder relations for Northern Region Clair Sanyu said, taxation is the backbone of any country’s development, a reason they intensify tax education Baraza’s and stakeholder engagements to ensure compliance and build a better reconciliation and relationship.

Swadik Amaku, the vice chairperson Arua City Bodaboda Association cited high registration cost for a new number plate as he commended the tax body for the initiative that will see them spearhead mobilization of their non-compliant colleagues.

Amaku said, that not all those riding numberless monocycles are bodaboda since the industry has been infiltrated by individuals who are not known to them.

The chairperson Arua City Business Community, Moses Obeta, who confessed to having once been a smuggler castigated URA for running after insignificant smugglers while appealing for a free economic zone in the West Nile region.

Obeta also called for recognition of compliant taxpayers, many of whom he said have been demoralized.

“In 2011 we pleaded with the president that the smuggling is thriving in the region due to not having enough capital and he should give us a free economic zone so that we know when we bring the goods other than taking them to Congo and bringing them back, we keep them here until we have got the money to clear them, this would help us a lot”, Obeta said.

The Deputy Resident District Commissioner Arua Denis Okwai Jawoko who said smuggling has been part of the history in the region challenged the stakeholders to make commitments to stopping the vice which he said is not only unlawful but also a source of insecurity.

Jawoko appealed to the URA to make good use of the government hours provided for RDCs in the different radio stations in the region to pass their tax education messages.