President Yoweri Museveni has for the first time spoken out on the recent huge changes at the tax collector, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) that saw the resignation of Authority’s Commissioner General Doris Akol and Commissioner of Domestic Taxes Dicksons Kateshumbwa among other high profile position holders.
While virtually addressing Parliament from State House at the budget reading, Museveni said that Uganda’s tax to GDP ratio which is 14.3% is very low and attributed it to corruption at URA
“Uganda has got the lowest tax to GDP ratio. It is only 14.3%. African countries go up to 18% while European countries go up 40%. What is the problem?” he wondered.
“There has been a lot of corruption in URA, that one I have cleaned as we shall clean some of the other places. We cleaned URA,” said Museveni.
“Those young people who were given an opportunity to serve their country were instead doing their own things. We were begging as if they are doing us a favour instead of working for their country. We have dispersed them, that URA crowd,” he added.
Museveni today also expressed concern that Landlords were evading taxes on the pretext that they are ever constructing more rental houses which prevents them from paying rental tax.
As a result he said, tax will be paid per rental house that is completed.
“We are saying no, pay tax per house,” said Museveni.
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