Today, there is a crisis of some sort happening in our country where business people are at loggerheads with government especially URA (Uganda Revenue Authority), the body entrusted with collecting taxes and gather revenues.
Every year the taxable base is narrowing- because of unreasonable tax demands shutting down many traders- therefore forcing URA officials to tax heavily whoever is still doing business. This is the vicious cycle we don’t seem to have an escape route from.
The prelude to this suffering however, started when our government disregarded all warnings not to ‘mishandle’ the homosexuality debate and all warnings fell on deaf ears. We were all gyrating and in blissful ignorance started hallowing insults at “bazungu- white people” literally chasing them away with their ‘bad’ vices.
Understandably, perhaps because of his upbringing, President Yoweri Museveni led this crusade of ‘shouting’ at Bazungu. He was unequivocal in telling them that, “homosexuality, like heterosexuality, is a private and sacred business which should remain in secluded places or bedrooms!”
But Bazungu were having none of that. They were used to paternalistic attitudes therefore not ready to listen to any other alternative reasoning.
On the other hand, our Parliamentarians were ‘high-fiving’ each other for a job well-done after voting on the “Anti Homosexuality Bill” which they passed burning completely the practice of that ‘bad’ vice in Uganda. Practicing and or promoting homosexuality in Uganda now can result into life imprisonment or even death.
The MPs, unfortunately, including President Yoweri Museveni of course, underestimated the Bazungu resolve and their unwavering nature. Ugandans led by their politicians completely forgot which side of their bread was buttered!
We were led into a trap by our politicians who daily told us that “our country has enough money or own resources to cover whatever shortfall!”
It was a lie now the traders have to be completely taxed out of business because there is no money to finance the budget.
At least that is what we all thought and Mr. Museveni went on a rap of honor taking in the victory. He became the poster child of “anti-homosexuality’ worldwide spurred on by evangelical Churches.
Of course we have our ‘Anti-Gay Bill’ therefore having succeeded in ‘defeating’ Bazungu.
But we now know that it was a fool’s victory because we don’t have any money to run our hospitals; house our police and soldiers; repair or build roads; among others like the now worsening state of delivery of vital social services.
The ‘gay’ Bazungu have fought back by running away with their ‘bad’ vices including of course MONEY.
Uganda and some African countries where this gay issue became hot, they caught the Bazugu completely off-guard. That is why they also came up with unreasonable measures out of panic.
The World Bank is gone; European Union money is gone; the United States kicked us out of AGOA (an initiative where selected African products were allowed on the American market without being taxed) and hasn’t finished assessing whether we deserve their assistance again. Britain is saying: “You guys who can’t tell the difference between a mosquito and a house fly can’t be expected to know anything about homosexuality!”
Many Ugandans of high ranks including religious leaders like Catholic Fathers now can’t get visas to America and Canada because of their stance against homosexuality.
Canada is taking in Ugandan ‘homosexuals’ and raking in their education and humility. The ‘homosexuals’ are helping rebuild this already great country at the expense of stubborn and poor African countries. Our people are working in the massive Canadian industrial complex paying taxes in return but with little net benefits to Uganda.
Basically that is what we got from our anti-homosexuality stand the net result being the strangling of our economy. The truth of the matter is that there is no money to run the economy because we have always depended on foreign handouts to finance both our recurrent and development expenditures.
Our government especially President Museveni miscalculated for thinking that China and other developing countries would step up and cover the loss from departed Bazungu. We forgot that our ‘new’ friends like China were not having money to ‘donate’ but only exorbitantly priced loans.
Why the high taxes?
First and foremost Uganda is currently doing what economists refer to as “Beggar-my-neighbor” policy. Essentially this policy is the protection of the domestic (local) economy by reducing imports and increasing exports.
Traders who are getting their goods from outside Uganda like China and Dubai are having a barrier to what they can bring in. Those who insist to bring in for example textiles and some electric products (we are currently manufacturing own clothes and electric products), are being hammered by high taxes.
On the other hand, those exporting our goods to outside countries are enjoying good returns because they pay zero taxes.
President Museveni is trying to build a manufacturing base here by encouraging more exports of our locally produced goods. In the long run we shall have an export-led economy the benefits of which will stimulate both economic growth and development.
This is the idea except that the same Mr. Museveni is heavily swayed by populist politics. Every idea; every option and every initiative of his, is generally geared toward political survival. What are the options left for a beggar like us?
Not much really except milking heavily an already dying cow.
Getting our Priorities Wrong:
Uganda has nearly the same number of MPs as India except that the former has a population of about 1.2billion people. Comparatively, President Museveni has the biggest cabinet on earth a situation made worse by the ever expanding number of Presidential advisors.
You cannot expect any recognizable development when most of the country’s resources are wasted on administration (wage bill). No one is telling us how much money we spend on shuttling around our politicians and other ‘important’ people helping Mr. Museveni to run Uganda. No one is telling us how the government looks after all its senior police and military officials who moves around in brand new land cruisers and Pajeros.
Of course no one tells us how much money is wasted on foreign medical and leisure trips of our zillions of government officials!
How much money is spent on protecting our homeland and taking peace to other unsafe places like DRCongo, Somalia and South Sudan? No one tells us!
Certainly no one is telling us how much money is spent on political patronage like the recent recruitment of deputies of deputy RDCs and RCCs. Nearly 300 fellows have been recruited to ‘assist’ the ‘assistants’ of the President who run districts and cities. All these folks will be given brand new cars and housing allowances. This money we would have used it to build schools and repair our stressed healthy centers!
The way we waste money in Uganda is mind boggling.
BY WAY OF CONCLUSION:
Friends, next time a politician tells you that he/she is in Parliament fighting for you, just run away from that person. Politicians in general fight only for own stomachs.
Ugandan traders will have to tighten their belts until Bazugu feel sorry for us and again throw some crumbs (obukunkumukwa) at us.
Can we therefore come up with a humane and softer ‘Gay Bill” in exchange for Bazungu cash? This is what I would do in order to reduce the suffering of my already downtrodden people.
How bad can “ebisiyaga- homosexually” be with all the bad politics and economic mismanagement we continue to suffer from?
President Museveni has still some options left. First, he has a sleepy group of fellows occupying our Parliament and not at all bothered on how the government runs. These folks are setting their own salaries and wages therefore careless about high taxes or anything else.
Then this analysis sent to me by an avid reader of my articles. It was after his prompting that I decided to say something on the ongoing fracas between government and traders. This is what he said:
“The issues (affecting traders) are mainly ignorance or the absence of respect to society as a whole. Some politicians came straight from school to Parliament and others from the bush to government. Some came straight from night clubs and found themselves elected to Parliament. The President picked some from “Ajuni/marwa- local brew” pots and entrusted them with running our economy. These people are reaping from a mango tree not realizing that this tree has leaves; it has a trunk; it has branches and fruits. The whole tree lives together; suffers together and once it fails, nothing remains alive!”
I can’t agree more with the observation of my reader above.
LAST WORD: “The economy is the start and end of everything. You can’t have any successful reform if you don’t have a strong economy!”
- David Cameron
Adam Kamulegeya
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