Author: George Muhimbise

For a couple of days Members of Parliament (MPs) have been signing a motion to censure the four backbench Parliamentary Commissioners over the sh1.7b they received as a service award.  The MPs claim they want to fight corruption and this time they are starting from their own house. Parliament leadership say this money was passed in the budget and therefore there was nothing illegal that was done. Whereas the moral and legal aspects of the issue remain a subject of debate, the censure of the Commissioners under the guise that the MPs are fighting corruption remains a big joke. It…

The rift between government and traders over taxes will not end unless the fundamental issues are dealt with. One of the core fundamental issues is expanding the tax base through empowerment of the population. Currently Uganda’s Tax to Growth Development Product (GDP) ratio stands at 14 percent as compared to the recommended 18 percent. The reason Ugandans pay few taxes is because they have a low purchasing power and therefore are unable to consume goods and services on the market. It is worthy to note that traders don’t pay taxes, they instead collect taxes from consumers because whatever tax that…