Today morning parliament has held a plenary sitting chaired by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga where it has passes and rejected several taxes.
During the plenary, Parliament passed the Tobacco Control (Amendment) bill 2021 which seeks to impose an export tax on unprocessed leaf Tobacco. According to State Minister for Finance, David Bahati, the tax measure will generate Shs20 billion.
Parliament also considered and passed the Tax Appeals Tribunal ( Amendment) Bill, 2021 ( with amendments) and the Fish (amendment) Bill, 2021. The bill imposes an 8% export levy on fish maw.
However, legislators were concerned that there is only one licensed exporter of Fish Maw in Uganda a situation that creates monopoly of trade yet Uganda is a liberalised economy. The Speaker has called upon the Finance Ministry to look into the concerns raised.
Kadaga nevertheless hit at MPs who were complaining about the new taxes yet they are the same people demanding for services and better roads among others;
“Where do you want government to get money from?” she asked.
MPs voted to reject the External Trade (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which had sought see an export levy imposed on wheat bran, maize bran and cotton cake.
Last week, parliament voted for 12% direct tax on mobile data and ditched paying of OTT.