Joshua Nahamya,
Mbarara.
In a bid to boost local revenue collection, the Mbarara city council has secured a double cabin to aid the revenue department to enhance tax collections from hard-to-reach areas.
According to Assy Abirebe, the double cabin ranger number LG 0009 127 commissioned on Thursday cost Mbarara city 180,982,000 million shillings out of 5.5 bln local revenue collected during the financial year 2021/22.
“Out of the money they realized from local revenue during the last financial year, and it is out of this money that we’ve bought a double cabin pick up to boost the capacity of the Mbarara city council revenue section in the mobilization of local revenue,” Abirebe said
“So this vehicle is purely bought from the taxpayers’ money of Mbarara city under local revenue collection. And as a city, we are happy that we have added it to among the few vehicles we have to improve services to the people of Mbarara”. He added
Abirebe said “we have always had a challenge of transport and often times we had to hire transport means to enable the revenue collectors, move around the city”
“So we are glad that we have been able to procure a vehicle for the revenue section and of course for other services within the city council”
He adds that more often the city has been spending 200,000 every day to transport revenue collectors in the field.
“Time and again we have been spending 200,000 shillings per day on hiring vehicles and sometimes we would use our own vehicles but sometimes I was actually releasing my own official car to the revenue department but now that this vehicle is available, we shall not be incurring any other expenses” Abirebe explained
Having procured a double cabin, Abirebe says Mbarara city council is now determined to collect 9 bln from local revenue.
“Now that we’ve got this vehicle our budget estimates for local revenue is 9 bln and we hope that with now this additional reinforcement we are going to achieve our target,” Abirebe said
The city clerk adds that the remaining local revenue was used to construct a classroom block at Biharwe Moslem’s P/S in North Division, Fencing of Kenkombe land and minor Renovations, supply of 3 twin desks in selected primary schools and procurement of motor grade.
“As Mbarara city we don’t use local revenue for purposes of allowances as people may think but we give back to the people who pay us taxes. For example we constructed a two classroom block at Biharwe Moslem P/S, maintenance of the road network in Mbarara city especially those that are under the divisions because for them they don’t receive road fund” he explained
Abirebe says the council has also used one billion to order a grader that will help to work on the roads within the city.
“And of course we have also planned to buy a grader. The procurement process has been concluded and it is going to cost us one billing shillings also from the local revenue. And I believe we are one of the few local governments in Uganda that can save local revenue money to procure a motor grader and a vehicle” Abirebe said
Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, Mayor of Mbarara city confirmed that Mbarara is among the first cities to collect over 5 bln from local revenue.
“We had collected 5.5 bln but now I am hopeful that since they have got a vehicle it will increase to 9 bln. Out of the local revenue funds we are also going to buy a new brand grader by the end of this month and this grader will be working on all the roads”
Kakyebezi added that the ministry of health has donated an ambulance to Mbarara City Health Centre IV to address emergency responses in the city.
“I want to thank the ministry of health for donating an ambulance to our health Centre IV that will be helping everybody in the city to transport patient”
He adds that the city is equipped with a revenue system that ensures that all the money is collected for service delivery.
The mayor cautioned the drivers to take good care of the purchased vehicles in the city to serve their intended purposes.
“Much as we are the custodians of these vehicles, they belong to the government and what I want is to see them being handled well. The challenge we have been getting is that if someone receives a vehicle, mishandles it and you find a vehicle which we have bought more than 100 mln is in bad condition but now a driver who handles it badly, will face an exit” said Kakyebezi
