The EastAfrican
Date: 26.09.2016
Page 43
Article size: 357 cm2
ColumnCM: 79.33
AVE: 119000.0
Tracing growth of the Customs department
The department
also collects
statistics to make
trade easy
By A CORRESPONDENT
The EastAfrican
to tax the different goods that
The Customs depart­
come in which are not in the
ment under the lead­
system.
ership of Dickson's
The Customs department
currently employs about 800
staff at the 41 boarder posts
Kateshumbwa as com­
missioner is key to revenue col­
lection at the different boarder
points. Its mandate includes
four key functions on behalf of
the Uganda Revenue Author­
ity that includes facilitation of
trade between Uganda and its
trading partners such as Kenya,
China, Japan and South Su­
dan by overseeing the smooth
import and export of goods in­
clude pre­exports and transits.
which include the 35 inland
Custom stations and six sta­
tions in the rest of the region
with Kenya hosting the bulk
of them in Mombasa, Nairobi,
Eldoret, Kisumu, Nakuru and
soon one will be opening in Dar
is ongoing at Elegu and Katuna. goods , value them then give a
bond for to pay which is costly
Since inception of URA in
but the new Ascuda technology
1991, the Customs body has
enables Customs to clear hun­
managed to grow its revenue
in terms of collection at the
dreds of trucks with two days to
enable good to transit smoothly.
different boarder points. For
Currently the goods that are
example, between 1991­1992
Customs collected a total tax of brought in need a declaration
Ushl()0.58 billion which was a
form which shows which taxes
contribution of 51.9 per cent of you have paid once all that is
the entire budget, ten years later cross­checked in the system you
are cleared and allowed to pro­
in 2000 we collected Ush611
billion, 10 years later 2010­2011 ceed with importation.
vitae porta
Some of the major stations
that have the highest traffic in­
they collected Ush2,534.02
billion and currently they have
managed to collect Ush4832.37
clude Malaba which handles
billion between 2015­2016
The Customs office is man­
dated to collect revenue and
about 1,600 trucks per day;
currently contributes about 41
per cent of the total revenue col­
lected by authority.
It is also in charge of protect­
ing the public and and the envi­
ronment against counterfeits by
seizing such goods. These goods
range from foodstuffs to mobile
phones and pharmaceuticals.
The department also collects
statistics especially those relat­
there is Busia, Entebbe Inter­
Organisation we
which show a significant
growth of business in the Ugan­ had to advance and
ing to international trade since
Uganda is a member of the
World Customs Organisation
and East African Community
making such statistics impor­
tant. This has helped the staff
es Salaam.
national Airport, Jinja, Kam­
pala, Elegu which boarders
South Sudan which is busy due
to the trade between Uganda
and South Sudan especial­
ly in foods crops like wheat,
beans then Mutukula at the
Tanzanian border. In addition
to that we also have four one­
dan market.
Automation
All this has been attributed
to the automation and technol­
ogy advancement of the whole
system which includes the use
of Ascuda the new technology
which was introduced to deal
As member of the
World Customs
introduce the single
Customs duty where a
trader pays a common
external tariff which
enables him to move
his goods across any
boarder in the region
without paying extra.
Goods had also been
with the long ques of people lin­
stop border posts where we are ing up waiting for their goods to
operating jointly under one roof be cleared tor example back in
with other agencies both within 2005 it used to require a clear­
ing agency or agent 4­5 days to
and outside Uganda. These are
taking too long to reach
Uganda, between 15­18
days from Mombasa,
but due to the single
Customs duty, the time
in Malaba, Busia, Mutuku­
has been reduced to
la and Mirama Hills at the bor­
der with Rwanda. Construction
clear a container because it was
being done manually where it
between 3 and 4 days
had to require one to look at the to reach Uganda.
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya
The EastAfrican
Date: 26.09.2016
Page 43
Article size: 357 cm2
ColumnCM: 79.33
AVE: 119000.0
Staff working at the Uganda Revenue Authority headquarters in Kampala
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya