The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) is today set to hand over a petition asking the president not to assent to the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2016to the Prime Minister.
The group says it has collected over 3.5 million signatures from citizens.
Mr. Julius Mishambi the Director of Programmes at Uganda Debt Network, one of the organisations under CSBAG, describes Members of Parliament (MPs) as fortune seekers following their demands for tax exemption.
The MPs say if the law is not passed then they will not pass the 2016/2017 budget.
Civil society organizations are concerned that if the MPs’ facilitation is not taxed, the country would lose atleast Shs40 billion in taxes annually.
Meanwhile statehouse has refuted reports that the president had given a tacit approval for the MPs tax exemption deal.
Presidential Press Secretary Ms.Lindah Nabusayi says the president cannot be held at ransom, after the MPs threatened to block the budget if the exemption is not approved, an act which she describes as treasonable.
Nabusayi has also challenged the MPs who were claiming that the president new about the disputed tax exemption deal that resulted into the passing of the Income Tax Amendments Bill, 2016 to produce evidence.
State Minister for Finance in charge of Planning David Bahati who tabled the bill explained that the amendment was an adjustment to exclude some of the facilitation allowances for constituency but that the MPs agreed that only their basic salary, totaling about Shs 2.5 million be taxed.
Story By Judith
