Do Not Harass Tax Payers– Museveni

By Alfred Wasike and Eddie SSejjoba President Yoweri Museveni has directed local governments not to harass tax payers by tying them up while collecting graduated tax. Addressing a huge crowd at Nyendo, a Masaka town suburb yesterday, Museveni said, "I have received reports that local governments collect graduated tax in the villages by tying or undressing tax payers. They should not do this. I direct that local governments should not harass wanainchi as they collect the tax." He explained that graduated tax is collected to help local governments run their administration. He stressed that graduated tax is not remitted to the central government. "The movement government has streamlined the administration of graduated tax. I have directed that unemployed youth should not be made to pay more than sh.3,000 per annum while 60-year old Ugandans should be exempted from paying graduated tax." On poverty eradication he said that government had now decided to decentralise the disbursement of poverty alleviation funds to the Prime Ministers' office to the parishes and finally to the villages. "I have decided that the disbursement of poverty alleviation funds will be given out to the different groups like women, youth, people with disabilities and others in their different 'Bwato'." "I urge you to vote for me an the movement because we are the ones who chased away dictatorship from Uganda, empowered wanainchi, returned the Kabaka and brought other developments like UPE, water and others." He addressed other mini rallies elsewhere. Earlier in Rakai, Museveni warned parish chiefs and other tax collectors against harassing people and handling them like animals during tax collection operations in villages. He made the warning during a campaign rally at Kifuuta trading center in Kabira sub county Rakai district. Meanwhile James Mujuni reports that two light airplanes yesterday evening hovered over Mbarara town for over 20 minutes dropping small posters and flyers of Museveni. They also dropped flyers in Nyendo near Masaka town. The planes were hired by Bushenyi tycoon Hassan Basajabalaba, as contribution to the Elect Museveni task force. They flew at a very low altitude sending residents of Mbarara into a frenzy. Ends