URA Hopes to reach agreement with Pioneer By the End OF the week

Pioneer Buses that were impounded at Namboole

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has said that it hopes that the impounded pioneer easy buses will be back on the road before the end of this week.

Pioneer Easy buses were barred from operating yesterday for failure to pay tax arrears amounting to 8 billion shillings.

The Commissioner General of URA Allen Kagina told a committee of parliament that government rushed to allow the buses on the road after a transport crisis that occurred in March last year when taxis were on strike and there was no time to have them cleared first.

Kagina told the committee on national economy that the bus company exploited the situation to default on the tax forcing URA to temporarily force them out of operation.

Pioneer company promised to clear the taxes in installments but didn’t do so as agreed. Kagina told MPs that the company paid for three months and after that stopped paying their taxes.

She assured MPs that URA is in talks with the bus company and hopes that a solution will have been reached by the end of this week.

She said that URA did not mean to inconvenience the public but it was the only way to get Pioneer to pay what it owes the tax body because they have to account for taxes.

Pioneer buses were forced off the road this week making transport difficult as taxis do not seem to be enough on the road and are using the situation to exploit passengers.