URA tax regime incites evasion!

Jul 15, 2010

EDITOR—I am not an overly passionate woman. But now I am very bitter. Why? I am a law abiding Ugandan. I work hard and regularly pay my taxes and never complain although at times there is no value for money.

EDITOR—I am not an overly passionate woman. But now I am very bitter. Why? I am a law abiding Ugandan. I work hard and regularly pay my taxes and never complain although at times there is no value for money.

Having saved for a couple of years, I recently ordered a car from Japan. I submitted the paperwork for tax assessment to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and they responded with a value double the amount of purchase!

I appealed, and four weeks later, the reply is that these are the indicative values approved by the URA and therefore “tough luck”!

In the meantime, the vehicle languishes in a bonded warehouse accumulating daily fees of sh5,000 while I watch tax-free blue-plated URA vehicles pass me by!

I have never been one to advocate non-payment of taxes, but given the shoddy treatment I have received at the hands of the URA, I think Ugandans would be justified to evade tax.

Enough is enough!

Samantha Kauma
Kampala

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