UWOPA Threatens to Reject Taxes on Water and Kerosene

Uganda Women Parliamentarians (UWOPA) have resolved to reject tax levies on both water and kerosene proposed in the 2013-2014 budget read by the Minister of Finance Maria Kiwanuka a few weeks back.

Uganda Women Parliamentarians (UWOPA) have resolved to reject tax levies on both water and kerosene proposed in the 2013-2014 budget read by the Minister of Finance Maria Kiwanuka a few weeks back.
 
The budget made an additional 50 shillings excise duty on fuel, re-introduced kerosene excise duty at a rate of 200shs per litre, a 1% levy by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) on gross income of Telecom Operators, motorcycle registration fee of 70,000 shillings, motor vehicle registration fee of two hundred thousand shillings and others.
 

The chairperson of UWOPA Betty Amongi said that women members have agreed by consensus that taxes on water and kerosene will have implications on the women of Uganda and propose that the tax on kerosene be delayed and the ministry energy first put in place mechanisms of alternative safe energy for women.
 
She said that on the issue of water the tax is scrapped and that when it comes before parliament and it is not scrapped off they as women parliamentarians will not support the tax.
 
This was during the UWOPA dialogue for consensus building on the budget for financial year 2013-2014.
 
Amongi explained that between now and when the budget will be brought on the floor of parliament, they are going to embark on a consultative process to propose alternative sources of revenue for government.
 

In this case she cited reinstatement of tax holidays and incentives that are given to multi-national companies, increase taxes on soda, taxes on cigarettes to safe guard increasing taxes on water and kerosene.  MP Winnie kiiza the opposition chief whip and member of UWOPA said that the budget is unfair to women who shoulder much of the burden in the homes. She said that things associated with water and power is directly linked to women because of their biological roles they shoulder in their families being a patriarchal setting. They argues that when government starts increasing taxes on water the poor women are affected more since the rich can afford putting up structures for clean water.

 
She suggested increment of taxes on perfumes since those who buy perfumes actually afford them and are the rich women saying that rural women cannot buy taxes. She also suggested more taxes on beers and tobacco. Kiiza said that as women they are ready to study against these taxes on the floor of parliament and threatens to refuse passing the budget without scrapping the taxes. 

Sandra Basemera the Policy Analyst Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), analysed the implications of the budget on women on behalf of UWOPA and she noted that the re-introduction of the excise duty on kerosene implies that the majority of the rural community that depend a lot on paraffin will have to dig deeper in their pocket. Basemera explained that children in rural areas need kerosene to read books at night saying that women use kerosene more than men.
 
Commissioner Justaf Frank Tukwasibwe in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development argued that the tax on kerosene is a realistic tax comparing it with that in Tanzania that is much higher at 400.5Tz shs saying that the women in Uganda are no different from those in Tanzania.
 
He appealed to women to adopt use of solar as an alternative for lighting citing the use solar lamps which he said are affordable and said that government’s ultimate target is to replace the use of kerosene for lighting with other sources of energy.
 
He added that the quality of fuel is an aspect that must be handled and noted that government is not going to shy away from that responsibility. Recently the Minister of Finance Maria Kiwanuka justified the tax on kerosene saying that it was being used at fuel stations to adulterate diesel and fuel and this was affecting motor vehicles.

Source : Uganda Radio Network