Kampala City Traders Association KACITA that dubs as a multi sectoral business support association has petitioned the leader of opposition ( LOP) Joel Ssenyonyi and threatened a National Wide Demonstration by the entire business community.
This following continued engagements with the concerned government agencies but without conclusive remedies rendering the business community vulnerable to all challenges that affect their businesses.
“As KACITA we have engaged different responsible government agencies but no conclusive remedies have been reached and this has left the business community bleeding to the extent that if no solution is provided soon, a possible national wide demonstration may happen,” petition reads in part.
KACITA added,” as the leading trader’s body, we would like to bring to your attention, the trade issues that are significantly affecting traders and the business community across our nation.
They said the issues required immediate attention and remedial actions to safeguard the interests and prosperity the citizens
The delegation was lead by their Chair person Thaddeus Musoke mainly focusing on the influx of Chinese manufacturers into local shops and the continuous subjecting of 47 Tarif lines of textile and garments valuation to USD 3.5 per kilogram.
According to the Chair person, the traders have also rejected the Electronic Fiscal Reciepting and Invoicing system (EFRIS) however not perceived well by the regulatory body and continue to assume that traders are evading their tax obligation which was false and that the approach Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) was wrong and supposed to be redesigned
“URA must revise the EFRIS system to reduce delays in receipts. Kikuubo traders have rejected EFRIS and when I try to encourage them to use it, they claim I have been bribed. URA should halt operations, re-strategize, and involve traders,” Musoke.
They then also expressed their disatification having had a meeting with the president, promised to meet traders shortly only for the tax regulatory body tightened their enforcement.
Appearing at the plenary, LOP emphasized that as it has been the matter in the past, traders have not had any chances to have an input when new taxes are proposed and so they were looking forward to an interaction so that they could share their thoughts and not gramble after taxes having been passed and struggle with them.
Ssenyonyi added that URA had not taken the much needed time off to sensitize the traders for them to come on board or even addressing there many challenges including smartphones and stable Internet which they need to ensure that they interact with the EFRIS.
“One of the Cardinal principles in taxation is you have to make it easy for people to pay taxes because once it is not easy then people are going to evade because they are saying am giving my money but number two am struggling with your system so the comfortable convenient thing for them to do is to evade taxes and yet we don’t want that to happen,” he said. Adding,
“We like to implore URA takeoff time, interact with traders, they’re saying they need an engagement with you and have an understanding, get to share their concerns with you because they’re grappling with challenges but you meet once in a long time…..no wonder they are closing their shops and thus need a platform to be listened too.”
Since Monday 8, traders in the Central Business Center have been part of an ongoing demonstration which has left many businesses especially in around KIkuubo area closed until their issues are addressed. KACITA on the other hand had proposed April 16, to enable the business community serve especially the Muslim fraternity that is yet to celebrate their Eid on Wednesday.
