President Museveni not happy with tax to GDP ratio

By Wanambwa M. Rogers 

Kampala,Uganda (RTN) - From the reading of the National Budget yesterday, Uganda's tax to GDP ratio is 14.3%.

In his speech, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni showed his displeasure on this because this puts Uganda's tax to GDP ratio among the lowest in Africa. He added on that some countries' is as high as 18%!

According to the president, the low tax collection is because of 'the massive corruption by Uganda Revenue Authority officials that he has since forced out.'

He said that, “there has been a lot of corruption in URA. That one I have cleaned. We have cleaned that crowd of the corrupt. Like we shall do in other areas.”

This comes in as several URA officials were forced to leave last week because of the president's "clean up." These include, Mr. Henry Saka, Mr Dicksons Kateshumbwa, and Mr Siraji Kanyesigye.

“Those young people who were given an opportunity to serve their country were instead doing their own things. We begged them to stop but were behaving like they are doing us a favour. We shall come for whoever is corrupt,”  the president said.

Consequently, the new URA Commissioner General, Mr. John Rujoki Musinguzi(who replaced Doris Akol that was fired in March), announced a reshuffle bringing in Mr. Patrick Mukiibi who replaced Kateshumbwa, that was forced out.

The other appointments in the reshuffle include Mr. Mathew Stephen Mugabi to be the Acting Commissioner Tax Investigations docket while Mr. James Kizza was appointed Acting Commissioner Corporate Services docket and Mr. John Tinka Katungwensi was appointed Acting Commissioner Large Taxpayers in the new changes.

As it is, Uganda estimates to collect UGX21.8trillion in revenue, UGX20trillion of which is expected to be tax revenue and UGX1.5trillion non-tax. This translates to 14.3% of GDP.