UGANDA, Fort Portal | Real Muloodi News | RippleNami Uganda conducted a Civic Engagement Event in Fort Portal City on 21st September 2023, as part of a campaign titled; “Services and Fair Tax for Property Owners”, with the support of USAID as part of the Domestic Revenue Mobilisation for Development (DRM4D) initiative.
During the civic event, His Lordship the Mayor of Fort Portal City, Asaba Edison Ruyonga expressed his gratitude toward USAID’s partnership with RippleNami to support tax education in different cities and also thanked the property owners in Fort Portal City for being tax compliant.
Mr Asaba said, “with USAID we are making a stride. In the last financial year, in revenue collection, we were the third in the whole country. I thank the property owners in Fort Portal City for being complaint in paying your taxes and always responding positively. You are the reason we are accomplishing all these things in the city with the little we have.”
At the event, property owners in Fort Portal City expressed frustration over the lack of effective communication and engagement with tax collection authorities and demanded greater engagement in the taxation process.
Edgar Mugabe a property owner said that some people don’t know what property tax is, others don’t know how to pay it, while others refuse to pay because of the power service delivery.
The civic event was aimed at calling all real estate stakeholders together to discuss a way forward and have the same goal as the public and private sectors.
The event highlighted the importance and how to pay property tax without any hindrance.
Mr Mugabe agreed saying, “for anything to develop or grow in our city, it happens through the taxes we pay. In this way, property owners are rewarded with good service delivery.”
He added, “there’s a need to teach people about taxes, what they do and how they benefit for them to be compliant tax payers.”
The Representative of the vulnerable and the PWDs, Kamurasi Muhamad Badru says the PWDs are in so much need of services like accessibility and extra care at health centres.
“Many times you find the areas in these health facilities don’t favour the handicapped. You also find the PWDs can’t access infrastructure like local markets. We appeal for government to create accessibilities to these facilities with PWDs in mind, safe and functioning,” noted Mr Kamurasi.
He also appealed to the government to set up schools for the PWDs, the blind, the deaf and many more. He says that such people need special care and even adult education.
Mr Kamurasi said, “we need health facilities that are up to standard,and to have access to a functioning health system without the need to travel to Kenya or India to receive special treatment.”
Many of the property owners complained that there is garbage everywhere yet there are workers and they also pay taxes.