In a spectacle of fervor and frustration, the Fish Maw Traders Association Uganda Limited have risen up against the oppressive shackles of exorbitant taxes, their voices echoing through the hallowed halls of Parliament.
Justus Ssennungi, the indomitable chairperson of the association, stood resolute, facing down the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries on Tuesday October 31st, chaired by Hon. Janet Grace Akech Okori-Moe, the Abim District Woman Representative.
With unyielding conviction, Ssennungi decried the audacious eight percent export duty and the staggering US$11 import levy, branding them as nothing short of ‘unfair and excessive’.
He bared the wounds inflicted by the six percent withholding tax, a malevolent force that had driven many of their brethren into the unforgiving maw of bankruptcy.
“Initially, our association had more than 50 members who are representing companies, but due to unfavourable government policies, the number has dropped to 30,” Justus Ssennungi, the chairperson of the association said.
And as if the fiscal onslaught wasn’t enough, they lamented the ceaseless brutality meted out by security personnel upon the sacred water bodies.
The fish maw, that enigmatic swim bladder, nestled within the sinews of the Nile Perch, emerged as the coveted jewel, revered for its mystical prowess in the pursuit of eternal youth.
A kilogram of this piscine treasure commanded a princely sum of 160,000 Shillings, while its more opulent kin ranged from 350,000 to a staggering 800,000 Shillings.
Simon Musana, a stalwart of the association and the sagacious general secretary, recounted the litany of tribulations they bore – annual tributes to the ministry, trading licenses, and health endorsements from the draconian grasp of Kampala Capital City Authority.
Section 30(a) of the Fish (Amendment) Act, a herald of doom signed by the President’s decree, sealed their fate with an eight percent toll on the total value of their prized cargo.
In the crucible of comparative analysis, Tanzania and Kenya emerged as beacons of reason, charging meager sums for the export of fish maw, a pittance compared to Uganda’s fiscal savagery.
The beleaguered traders, hearts afire with righteous indignation, beseeched Parliament to amend the law, to lessen the burden from US$11 to a more reasonable US$2 per kilogram.
Shadow Minister of Agriculture, the venerable Dr. Abed Bwanika, rallied the ranks, summoning forth their knowledge on the ebb and flow of fish maw commerce, vying for a fairer recompense for their toils.
The Committee, stirred by this symphony of lamentations, vowed an expeditious pilgrimage to the very shores that bore witness to their strife, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the embattled traders, seeking solace amidst the tempest of discontent.
Hon. Janet Okori-Moe, the committee chairperson said some of the challenges faced by fishermen emanate from non-implementation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2022.
“As a committee, we are planning to do oversight visits to some of the landing sites to confirm the efficiencies of the new Act. But also, we need to follow up on some of the specific regulations that the minister needed to bring to Parliament,” Okori-Moe said.
The resounding cry for justice reverberates, a testament to the unyielding spirit of these aggrieved traders, who refuse to be silenced in the face of adversity.
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