Masaka authorities close 500 shops

Jul 21, 2009

MASAKA Municipal Council has closed 500 retail shops and 20 commercial buildings for failure to pay licence fees and property tax, reports

MASAKA Municipal Council has closed 500 retail shops and 20 commercial buildings for failure to pay licence fees and property tax, reports Dismus Buregyeya.

The deputy town clerk, Benon Iga, said an operation was carried out in Katwe-Butego areas to recover sh30m. “We had set out to collect sh100m in taxes from Katwe-Butego Division in the last financial year, but we got only sh63m. We had to collect the rest of the money to meet our target of modernising the town,” Iga explained.

He noted that the money had contributed to the improvement of garbage collection, cleanliness and road rehabilitation projects.

Iga said most landlords were opposed to property tax. “If the tenants have cleared with the landlords, it is only fair that they also pay their taxes in time to avoid inconveniencing the tenants,” he stated.

The shops are required to pay about sh30,000 for trading licences and the land lords sh100,000 annually.

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