Mb’ra City targets to collect 9bn Local Revenue next FY

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

Mbarara City council has  had challenges in local revenue collections due to lack of transport means , the council has therefore decided to buy a brand new vehicle to boost the enforcement team to hit the target of 9billion collections in the next financial year.

The council led by the Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi have commissioned a brand new Ford Car that has cost them about 180m, this was handed over to Mbarara City  Revenue department to boost revenue collections.

According to Mayor Kakyebezi, he said that Mbarara City Council has not been performing well in revenue collection though it beats other cities, there has been challenge of lack of transport means to access each area in Mbarara City for Revenue collection. Kakyebezi said that this time Mbarara City has decided to buy the vehicle for Revenue department. That in the last Financial year they manage to collect about 5.5bllions local revenue and its the same money which they got the 180m to but this vehicle.

“Am hopeful that having bought this vehicle for the department, our target of 9b from local revenue will be hit by next financial year. Our Revenue  enforcement team managed to collect 5.5b without transport means, this means that  this time they will manage to hit our target. I want to a sure you that Mbarara City has a system that controls  the tax payers money from being stolen”, said Mayor Kakyebezi.

He added that they have also used about 1.6b from the local Revenue collections of last financial year to buy a grader to sort the issue of poor roads.

According to the Mbarara City Town Clerk Arthur  Abireebe, Mbarara City has also received two vehicles meant for health department from Ministry of Health. One double cabin that supports health services at Mbarara Health Centre 4. They have also received an Ambulance from ministry of Health to support on referral cases at the same Health Centre. Abireebe added that Mbarara City has been facing the challenge of transport to collect revenue, that at times they have had  to hire vehicles to move around for revenue collection. That this time they have been able to procure a vehicle for the revenue section which will improve the services for Mbarara City. He said that they have been hiring vehicles to collect revenue at a price of 200,000= per day that has been expensive.