WE ARE GOING TO COURT OVER ASSENTED TAX LAW—CSO, FR. GAETANO

BY VANANSIO KAKOGOSO

IN KABALE—-
Kick Corruption out of Uganda-KICK has vowed to join other civil
society activists to petition court over new Income Tax Amendment Act.
The law that has a controversial section barring Members of Parliament
from paying taxes on some of their allowances was assented to by
President Yoweri Museveni on 19th November this year.
KICK announced on 12th December this year, had started collecting
signatures to appeal to President Yoweri Museveni not to assent to
amendments in the Income bill.
According to the approved budget estimates of 2016/2107 financial
year, the projected expenditure on MPs is 239,590,669,000 shillings.
Of this 178,133,905,000 shillings will be spent on Mps allowances and
61,456,764,000shiilings will be spent on Mps salaries. Each Mps
monthly earns basic salary of 2,600,000 shillings, constituency
allowances of 4,054,000shillings, subsistence allowance of 8,580,000,
Town running allowance of 1,062, 500 shillings mileage allowances of
11,672, 000shillings and gratuity of 30% of total earning totaling to
4,888,950 shillings.
The Executive Director Kick Corruption out of Uganda Robert Kakuru
Byamugisha says that it’s unfortunate for the president not listen to
the cries of Ugandans.
He says that they will go to court because court has earlier
pronounced that law segregates parliamentarians from others Ugandans
who pay tax and Uganda Revenue authority had also communicated that
the law would cause financial loss to the country.