Low taxes collected in Arua blamed on over drinking

Over drinking among people in Arua has been cited as a reason for the drop in revenue collected, authorities there have revealed. 

This follows claims that many of the people have gone unproductive because of spending more hours over drinking. 

The LC5 Arua district, Wadri Sam Nyakua said the government ought to restore graduated tax as a way of reducing over drinking to ensure that men are pushed back to work. 

According to Wadri, if graduated tax is reinstated, men will work hard to earn hence promoting income at household level and revenue for lower local governments. 

Wadiri said abolition of graduated tax has left people to focus much on drinking adding that delayed remittance of funds from the central government is hurting decentralization policy.

He said that the Arua local government has been reduced to a beggar because central remittances delay yet local revenue collections can't enhance their budgets.

Wadri was responding to complaints from chairpersons from sub counties in the district who keep asking why central government remittance has continued to delay. 

He appealed to civil society organizations to engage government on policies which cripple lower local government activities for better development. 

John Bosco Odama, the LCIII chairperson for Logiri sub county in Arua district, says they are already ending the first quarter without central government remittance crippling their operations.

Government abolished graduated tax 15 years ago arguing that the cost of collecting it was more than the actual tax revenue.