The National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party has advised the government of Uganda to reduce its expenditure in order to reduce the high taxes imposed on already poor citizens.

The party Spokesperson made the statement during the party’s weekly press release, which took place on April 15, 2024, at the party headquarters in Rubaga, Kampala.

The Party Spokesperson, Moses Matovu, stated that the ever-increasing government budget and expenditures have led to an increase in taxes on the citizens, stating that this is the only way the government will be able to get money for its expenditures and pay its debts.

“The government budget is increasing daily while economic growth is slow, which makes the government borrow money from other countries to fend off its high expenditures. At the end of the day, it’s us, the poor citizens, that will be overly taxed in order to get money to pay the country’s debt, which is now 97 trillion,” Matovu said.

Matovu noted that the Kikuubo traders are being highly taxed, while the investors who have turned into traders are still enjoying tax holidays from the government.

“The so-called investors, mostly Chinese and Indians, come into the country to be producers who are given tax holidays by the government, but the investors have now become producers, suppliers, wholesalers, and even sellers of goods directly to the public. The traders have lost customers, hence closing their businesses,” he noted.

This comes after the Kampala traders threatened to protest on April 16, 2024, due to the high taxes imposed on them and the introduction of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).