By Francis Lubega
18th July 2023
Traders under their Umbrella body Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) – Uganda has lashed out at the government for taking long to construct standard gauge railway (SGR) to ease transportation.
It should be remembered that Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni once proposed plans to build a new standard gauge railway (SGR) linking Kampala with the Kenyan border and South Sudan aimed at lowering the cost of transport and improve the country’s competitiveness.
While addressing Traders in Kampala today during post budget trader’s engagement to sensitize traders on new taxes organized by KACITA and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Thadeus Musoke Nagenda the Acting Chairman of KACITA said that the economic status in the country is because COVID-19 affected and they can’t transport their goods into the country due to high charges on Road transport but if railway is constructed it can help.
However Musoke has advised government to reduce on taxes charged on local traders because many has many have run of business saying currently interest rate is 24% yet in Kenya is 12% mean soon business community will collapse yet also the government get revenue from traders.
He calls upon URA always to dialogue with Traders to save both traders business and government revenue collected.
In the same way traders have condemned government for giving foreign investors taxi holidays which has affected local investors who pay tax.
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