By Jimmy Muhumuza
Parliament
The request was made by John Musinguzi, Commissioner General URA while appearing before Parliament’s Finance Committee to present the Authority’s proposals on the National Budget Framework for FY 2023/2023.
During his submission, Musinguzi said that although the Authority’s budget is projected to grow to Shs567.14Bn, this is less than the money required because of the Shs618.924Bn funding gap the Authority is likely to grapple with in 2023/2024.
Among the unfunded items include the Shs500M required to fight Covid and another Shs500M for the treatment of staff and their families with HIV & AIDs because their insurance covers don’t cater for these ailments.
Regarding the fight against COVID-19, URA intends to use the Shs500M to procure items like sanitizers, soap, personal protective gear, soap, and water containers. The money will also be used for testing and treatment of staff for Covid-19.
The Authority is also seeking for another Shs1Bn to sensitize its staff on environmental protection and procure sanitary and disposal services.
However, MPs sitting on the committee appealed to the URA officials to increase the amount of money they pay to their staff because they go through a lot to get the money and should also add more avenues of expanding their tax base and apprehend those who don’t pay taxes
The committee will continue to meet other government agencies as they prepare the budget of the financial year 2023/2024
