TPA Travels to Uganda for Taxpayer Conference on Taxation and Spending

Joseph Kasibante, President of National Taxpayers Protection Organisation in 
Kampala, Uganda holds a press conference with TPA President David Williams

I have spent the last 7 days in Kampala, Uganda with Joseph Kasibante, President of the National Taxpayers Protection Organisaton (NTAPO). We conducted the first Uganda/United States Parallel Session on Taxation: “What can Ugandan and United States taxpayers learn from each other’s tax systems and tax systems from around the world?”  This session was a unique and important opportunity for taxpayer groups from two different countries to come together and discuss spending and taxation issues.  Our mission was to discuss ideas and collaborate to make government more accountable and give taxpayers a stronger voice in government.  The session started with a presentation to the Tax Justice Task Force of SEATINI-Uganda.  SEATINI is “an African initiative to strengthen Africa’s capacity to take a more effective part in the emerging global trading system and to better manage the process of Globalization.”  The session ended on November 14 with a press conference at the government owned Media Centre (apparently this is where all important press conferences are held) and a coalition meeting of taxpayers, media, and consumer advocates.  There are many differences between Uganda and United States as it relates to spending and taxation, but there are many similarities.  For example, a newspaper article yesterday criticized Ugandan MPs for excessive and needless travel.  Sound familiar?

Read full press release below:

For Immediate Release                         Contact:  Joseph Kasibante +256 7122 68924

November 10, 2013                                            David Williams 202-258-6527 (U.S.)

Uganda and United States Taxpayer Groups Announce International Conference on Taxation and Spending

PRESS RELEASE

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes”- Benjamin Franklin-This rather fantastic and sordid proverb draws on the actual inevitability of death to highlight the difficulty for one to avoid the burden of taxes.

(Kampala, Uganda) Joseph Kasibante, President of the National Taxpayers Protection Organisation in Uganda, and David Williams President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance in the United States announced the first Uganda/United States Parallel Session on Taxation: “What can Ugandan and United States taxpayers learn from each other’s tax systems and tax systems from around the world?”  The session is being held in Kampala, Uganda from November 11 to November 15, 2013.

Taxpayers from across the globe face excessive taxation and spending and even though the United States and Uganda are two distinct countries with two distinct history’s as it relates to our nations and growth, there are important commonalities when it comes to taxation and spending.  Citizens and taxpayers around the world are the same in what they want from their governments.

This session is a unique and important opportunity for taxpayer groups from the two different countries to come together and discuss spending and taxation issues,” said TPA President David Williams.  “The more information and experience we share, the better we can understand solutions to the problems.  Taxpayers across the globe deserve honest politicians and a tax system that promotes economic growth.”

The specific objectives of the session include: comparing  the benefits of tax competition pro rata business competition, building citizens’ enthusiasm to monitor and regulate  Government wasteful spending; analyzing  to what extent  citizens follow Government implementation  of projects in their areas ; evaluate  citizens’ awareness   whether they  know   at whatever status  in  their lives they all pay taxes daily to the Government through consumption sales tax despite living outside the direct tax box; find out whether citizens in Uganda have a culture of forming free will associations to make them  part of  informed role players  in advancing  their objectives and making  Government efficient to  perform  better.

Below, Mr. Kasibante justifies the importance of the parallel session between Uganda and United States taxpayers groups.

“Taxation is a very important activity because it is the only means and source from which all the three sectors in life; social, economic and political activities thrive. However it is disappointing to see that in the economic history of Uganda and Africa, the most neglected topic is the contribution of fiscal policy to the inequality of income, the bias in the distribution of Government expenditure aboard heavy burden of taxes.  Despite such omissions and shortfalls, no systematic analysis of these issues has been undertaken. It is therefore right for whoever is interested in democracy and good governance to support the work of taxpayers groups which have come out to make Government accountable, better, efficient, and stronger to  protect citizens, deliver services  and advance economic growth.

However tackling the above issues require sound policy leadership and public private partnership at all stages. A wider range of stakeholders need to work together for this to happen: government technocrats and politicians, the media, opinion leaders, officials at the central and local government, law- enforcement agencies,  civil society organisations, business community,   traditional  and religious institutions, and as well as development partners..

Among all the constituents mentioned above, parliament has the pivotal responsibility of fulfilling its function of representing all the sectors and its constituents (The wider society) in shaping policy; enacting relevant and effective legislations; providing checks and balance on the executive’s performance; overseeing policy implementation; and advocating Uganda’s long-term interests” Mr. Kasibante President of National Taxpayers Protection Organisation (NTAPO) Uganda insists.

A range of topics to share in diverse forums include but not limited to;

-Sharing experiences on tax policy issues in Uganda and the U.S such as Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act 2010 (FATCA) which is aimed at minimizing tax evasion.

-Tax competition pro rata business competition

-Distribution resource through taxation Uganda case of PAYE threshold

-Sales Tax holidays/Back to school sales tax holidays (USA)

-How banks/telephone services street parking cheat Ugandans through unclear/illegal fees

-Reduced VAT on essential commodities/U S sales tax holidays/back to school s/ tax holidays

-Dollarisation the Zimbabwe case

Justification of the parallel forum:

The Kampala November 11-15, 2013 parallel forum between USA and Uganda citizens  groups is intend to use a wide range of stakeholders mentioned above to support citizens’ awareness about taxation in a broad perspective for the citizens to pick more interest in the taxpayers work of ensuring  strict   implementation of the fiscal contract which binds  citizens  with the Government .