Ensure proper use of public funds

A couple of weeks back, government, through Finance Minister, Matia Kasaija, tabled proposals for the new tax laws, which will see motor vehicle owners part with an annual licenCe fee in an addition to six other taxes such as a 12 per cent levy on Internet bundles.

This got many citizens frowning   as many would not mind parting with some of their hard-earned money to pay the many proposed taxes and those yet to come (of course!) but what worsens the pain is knowing the monies won’t be put to proper use evidenced by the overwhelming corruption scandals, coupled with poor service delivery.

Corruption is a form of social injustice and a major human rights violation that deprives many citizens access to various essential services. It manifests itself as bribery, financial leakages, conflict of interest, embezzlement, false accounting, fraud, influence peddling, and nepotism, theft of public funds/ assets.  Many are the lives lost as the rest sail in abject poverty due to this corruption.

However, despite all the negative effects, one thing always gets me bothered; is there any day Ugandans will wake up and learn that a certain minister or ‘big’ public official has been fired or demoted on grounds of corruption?

Why have we mastered the art of making corruption a fellow citizen and the new normal? I can assure the Ministry of  Finance that even if they tax people’s footsteps, as long they don’t get hard on corrupt officials as well as implement the corruption enforcement mechanism, then nothing will get better.

The issue is not about how much is collected, but how the little collected has been managed. I personally believe that no amount of revenue can satisfy gluttony. Most Ugandans would be willing to pay tax if service delivery rhymed with their hard-earned monies.

The 2015 Parliament report estimates that the country has lost more than Shs24 trillion to corruption in the last 10 years. The Transparency International’s survey of 2019 ranked Uganda as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

And every year, about $1 trillion is paid in bribes, while an estimated $2.6 trillion is stolen through corruption, which is the equivalent of more than 5 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product, this is extremely painful to note.

I have watched a number of adverts on TV where citizens are encouraged to pay taxes, to me, this is not necessary! All we need is value for our money! All we want is tangible accountability expressed through better service delivery!  

One cannot be travelling on a road as dusty as Busabala Road, cannot access even Panadol in a government hospital, and then you preach prompt tax payment! Patriotism isn’t taught theoretically! It’s demonstrated!

The easiest way Ugandans will pay taxes is through them getting visual accountability!

 Take a sneak peak on how Covid-19 resources were managed! Four top Ugandan government officials were arrested in 2020 following reports that they inflated Covid-19 relief food prices causing government losses in excess of $528,000.

Can anyone calculate and gauge how many lives would have been touched with such an amount? The same way the media announces the corruption scandals, let them make a follow up and update the public about the law breaker’s in regard to facing the law or whatever the case! Citizens have a right to know the fate of their sweat!

Carol Nyangoma Mukisa,     Social Analyst