The Director Finance and Administration - National Resistance Movement, Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale, joined by the Koboko Municipality MP Hon. Dr Charles Ayume, held a fruitful arbitration engagement with a team from Uganda Revenue Authority and the Koboko District Business Community.
This comes after persistent complaints raised by the traders to the Director Finance and Administration over contentious concerns of taxation of agricultural produce that are non-taxable, corruption and intimidation at border and checkpoints
The Director was prompted to convene a quick preceding meeting with the traders at KOMUPA HALL on 17th January, 2024 inquiring the in-depth basis of their grievances towards Uganda Revenue Authority.
Subsequently after the preceding engagement with the traders, the Director called the URA headquarters and without hesitation, the commissioner directed the supervisor in West Nile to call on the teams of Oraba, Arua and Pakwach to sit down and listen to the traders on 18th January, 2025 at the Koboko district council hall.
The traders raised their grievances of taxation of agricultural produce especially groundnuts which are non-taxable and intimidation along various checkpoints by URA officials.
They also expressed dismay over the belief by URA that Koboko District and West Nile at large doesn't produce groundnuts in bulk and to that effect, any trader transporting groundnuts from Koboko or West Nile to Kampala must have imported the groundnuts from DR Congo.
The URA supervisor West Nile, Mr Abaho in response to the grievances immediately ordered for free movement of agricultural produce, he assured the traders that agricultural products within the country are non-taxable and shouldn’t be taxed.
He promised to work with the traders to detect and reprimand any of his officers caught in such illegal acts because it's the law that allows non-taxability of agricultural produce sold and produced within the country.
Speaking to the traders, the Director emphasized that she's aware that URA is only mandated to tax agricultural produce before entering the country but any agricultural produce sold and produced within Uganda isn't taxable by URA.
Hajjat Medina also tasked URA to understand the fact that there are farmers in Koboko and West Nile who grow and harvest groundnuts in bulk and urged them to stop taxing traders by simply imagining that any bulk amount of groundnuts leaving Koboko or West Nile to Kampala must have come from DR Congo unless they have a system to differentiate Dr Congo groundnuts.
She rallied and warned the traders to stick to legal trade and desist from illegitimate trade and avoid ventures like smuggling which is prohibited by the law.
The Director lastly tasked the Uganda Revenue Authority team, the district security team and the traders to work in harmony to give a smooth and thriving business environment for Koboko and West Nile because its a thriving business environment that aids development of a community, region and a nation.
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