Bella Wine boss reveals why alcohol firms will soon shutdown

By Evans Najuna

KAMPALA –The Executive Director of Bella Wine, Prudence Kasibante Ukkunika is concerned that high taxes levied on alcohol producing industries may soon drive them out of business.

She is now asking the government to do something before it’s too late.

Ukkunika was speaking at the breakfast meeting that was organised by the Uganda Investments Authority (UIA) in conjunction with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) at URSB headquarters in Kololo, a Kampala upscale suburb.

UIA among other entities was given office space by URSB at this building.

The meeting which was organized by UIA together with other government investment implementing agencies and the already existing investors sought to understand and have feedback from the investors and how to facilitate them.

Ukkunika expressed her disappointment with the Uganda government and its tax body the URA for their heavy tax burden they recently introduced on alcohol brewing industries. She argues that ever since these taxes were introduced, the cost of production has increasingly become so expensive for their business to survive.

She noted that it’s indeed good for any organisation, company or industry to pay tax because they grow any country’s economy but hastened to add that it should always be a win-win situation.

That whereas she has been paying taxes for the last 15 years, the recently introduced taxes are a recipe for disaster.

She informed the public that previously, brewing industries have been paying shs500 profit on each bottle to URA. But this has now been increased to shs5000 which is becoming so hard for their business to thrive.

Ukkunika said she was happy to share her sentiments with the Commissioner General of URA and line investment ministers because they are the officials meant to listen to their queries and advise them whether to close down their business themselves or them as government to come and shut them down.

She says the whole alcohol industry sector is bleeding and once out of business all those in the chain of production including fruit farmers, employees will be affected.

“If you dare to tamper with Bella Wine to close, it’s the government to lose, not me as Prudence Ukkunika because I am employing young Ugandans and buying off lots of raw materials from famers,” she stated.

Apart from URA tax, she said they are also choking from taxes on roads when transporting these products but also in upcountry where every district under local government has its own taxes and regulations.

Conclusively, Ukkunika implored the government together with its stakeholders in tax regulating flame work bodies to better go back to the drawing board and find how brewing industries can stay in business.

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