Uganda's Tax Authority - Uganda Revenue Authority [URA] together with the South Sudan Counterparts have intercepted five trucks of fish hailing from South Sudan under allegations of under weighing hence tax evasion at the Elegu boarder point weighing bridge station.
The 5 trucks in Transit are said to have been property of Arua City South Sudanese Fish Traders Association and alleged to have an allegations of conniving with the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) authorities at the Weighing Bridge station to falsify and under charge the goods at the border point in Elegu weighing bridge.
While speaking to Dailywestnile.info news Desk, Levi Malek, the chairperson of Arua City South Sudanese Fish Traders Association explained and on Monday 07th/11/2022, that they received officials from the Kampala head office of Uganda Revenue Authority - (URA)
Mr. Levi Malek further stressed that the officials from URA have been visiting them in their Arua office for four daysas per the time of the press.
He However express worries on the strict directives which paralyzed activities at the fish market in Arua City as at some point they ordered to drive the two alleged Trucks with Fish that had arrived in Arua city including the two Trucks in Pakwach and one that was retain at Elegu to Nakawa for verification due to the allegations being under weighed which they rejected.
He added that after their refusal, the security officials were heavily deployed at their Market Around Lobida in Arua city to stop them from offloading the fish which provoked them to call the office international foreign Affair of South Sudan to come to their rescue.
According to the letter sent from the office of Uganda Revenue Authority dated 31/10/2022 to the association that was sent through an official mail communication,
It indicated that ,the south Sudanese Fish Traders of Arua city had paid Ugx 7,264,590.00 as tax for the clearance at the border in Elegu as the tax levy on them.
David Dhicu Kuany, the finance manager of the association revealed that it is now the second time they suffered the same issue by the Uganda Revenue, indicating to the pervious accounts of 2021 as they were fined Ugx 3 million on each truck.
The regional manager of Uganda Revenue Authority [URA] for Northern Uganda, Godson Mwesigwe says that they are doing a fresh verification exercise to ascertain the problem such that the issue will be dealt with properly.
However, the deputy resident city commissioner of Arua city, Twalib Acile further reveled to the media that there have been moments of connivance among the staff of Uganda Revenue Authority and Uganda National Roads Authority.
He as well calls for the two sister government agencies to fish out the culprits after verification exercise.
According to the information obtained from the South Sudanese fish Traders in Arua city they usually pay Ugx 300,000 per ton at the border point in Elegu and in Arua city as the local revenue they pays thirty five thousand Uganda shilling on each bundle of fish.
BY: ANWANGKANI FRANCO - Dailywestnile.info
