The Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority, Doris Akol highlighted a number of challenges faced by the tax body among which included the unregulated informal sector which affects expansion of the revenue base, gross under declaration of rental income and inadequate funding to support structural review, skills enhancement and reach in critical areas for example Oil, Gas and Telecoms.
The Commissioner-General of Uganda Revenue Authority, Doris Akol
has said that the 20.4 trillion shillings revenue target for the current
financial year 2019/2020 is unrealistic.
Akol was on Tuesday appearing before Members of Parliament to explain their
financial proposals under the 2020/2021 financial year Budget Framework Paper.
She highlighted a number of challenges faced by the tax body among which
included the unregulated informal sector which affects expansion of the revenue
base, gross under declaration of rental income and inadequate funding to
support structural review, skills enhancement and reach in critical areas, for
example, Oil, Gas and Telecoms.
Parliament appropriated a revenue target of 20.4 trillion for the current
financial year 2019/2020 up from the previous 2018/2019 collections of 16.6
trillion. Out of the appropriated 20.4 trillion targets, URA had by December
2019 collected 9.2 trillion against the half-year target of 9.7 trillion.
Tasked by the Finance Committee Chairperson Henry Musasizi on why the targets
were unable to be attained which created a deficit of Shillings 500 billion,
Akol said that the medium-term expenditure framework for the current financial
year projected a target of Shillings 18.3 trillion and not 20.4 trillion.
She blamed the Ministry of Finance for continuously communicating
revised targets to the tax collector that increases pressure on URA to meet the
new targets. She says the second budget call circular revised the 18.3 trillion
target to 19.7 trillion and finally a target of 20.3 trillion was communicated
in July last year.
She insists that the target for this financial year should ideally be 18.3
trillion Shillings and any amount above that figure is unrealistic. She says
the initial projection is the one that is properly arrived at in the targeting
process.
Akol says the target was revised because there are new expenditure requirements
at the Finance Ministry which have to be financed through revenue collections
and yet in her view, the revenue collections cannot meet this additional
expenditure.
//Cue in: “I have been…
Cue out:…be 0.5 percent.”//
Musasizi has now summoned the minister of finance to appear before the
committee on Tuesday next week in order to give more insight into the matter.
//Cue in: “I will need…
Cue out…and explain this.”//
Meanwhile, government intends to collect Shillings 21.54 trillion in domestic
revenue in the 2020/2021 financial year to finance the proposed Shillings 39.64
trillion election-year budget.
This is slightly lower than
the Shillings 40.48 trillion, budget for this financial year.
