Uganda Tax Whistleblower petitions Parliament over sh4.1b

Wednesday, 3rd August, 2011

An informer, who leaked information on a leading telecom company that was evading taxes worth sh4.8b, has petitioned Parliament, claiming his commission on the sh4.1b was not paid.

According to documents before the Parliamentary committee on finance, the whistleblower first reported that MTN in 2007 under-declared and misclassified equipment to customs officers and avoided import duty, causing loss of value-added tax to the Government.

After the tip-off, the documents indicated, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) carried out an audit on the firm and recovered sh4.8b.

However, the company protested the payments and the matter was forwarded to the World Customs Originations for ruling. ?URA acted on the said information and the taxpayer remitted sh4.8b,? the claimant lawyers, Ahamya Associates and Advocates, said in a letter to the tax body.

The company reportedly again evaded taxes in 2008 amounting to sh4.1b and the whistleblower again notified URA.

?Our client provided the information, but it was treated as the same. The purpose of this letter is to seek your audience and indulgence in having this matter handled,? the lawyers said.

But URA Commissioner General Allen Kagina said they had no knowledge of additional information supplied other than that for which the whistleblower was dully and fully paid. The claim is for the two times he informed URA.


By Mary Karugaba : The New Vision Newspaper