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 luckâ€!
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
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 luckâ€!
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