Debating Cost Cutting Measures
The ICT Minister, Hon.
Frank Tumwebaze was in news chiding unpatriotic Ugandans for using VPN to override
the OTT tax considered repressive and oppressive. Frank may have suffered a
convulsion of reality in his quest to tax Ugandans unnecessarily even for
social media services that his government does not offer or own.
Before we talk additional
taxes, Frank must first think of cost cutting measures within his government to
save money and avert unnecessary borrowing or taxes.
Most of what Mr.
Museveni called "rumouring" on social media are public scrutiny of
his strange policies such as over taxation, waste, cruelty, inefficiency,
greed, sectarianism and extravagance. This government is suffocating with a
budget for public administration and loan servicing – two of most avoidable
costs to the tax payers.
First, let us
reduce the size of government. A minimalist government can often be efficient
and cost effective. The cost of public administration has gone way too high for
a government that depends on foreign aid, loans and grants. It is
unsustainable.
When you look at the number
of Ministers (31) and their deputies (49) alone, the burden of sustaining them places
wanton burden on public purse.
We then have a stadium
of unhelpful, insensitive, unapologetic, unconscionable and greedy MPs who even
sneer and scorn at their impoverished electorates. They are not worth the money
they earn. In fact, this 10th Parliament has not been helpful since
every decision they have made are anti-people, and majority of whom are NRM are
bound by collective responsibility.
The difference between
Idi Amin and Museveni is that Amin was honest enough to rule Uganda without
Parliament. Museveni prefers to use them as his symbol of power, manipulate and
chump them up at a high cost to the public.
Another avenue for leaks
is through the balkanization of districts into smaller dependent units. These
district administrations are unsustainable to finance districts since they are
unproductive. Uganda now has about 130 districts, out of which, only 4 or 5 of
them are productive enough to sustain their own budgets. The rest depend absolutely
on central government for all their expenses.
These districts were
supposed to bring services closer to the people. Instead, they suck up valuable
resources meant to improve services. The constant decay in public service
across the country is evidence that decentralization needs a rethink.
This government leaks uncontrollably
given the high levels of rent seeking (corruption), nepotism, and cronyism. At
least the finance Minister has realized that corruption is now institutionalized.
The magnitude of
corruption happening in Uganda is of World Cup proportions.
By putting in place
practical and radical measures to stem corruption, Uganda could maximize public
resources to meet the budgetary objectives.
The lavish lifestyles of
our leaders must also be reduced, radically. The President flies an expensive
personalized jet, and travel with a convoy of motorcades that add unnecessary
costs to public purse given his already elaborate security details.
We have an assortment of
Presidential advisers and RDCs with their deputies and assistant deputies all
hooked up on public purse while duplicating duties of one another.
Then a coterie of
security agencies from the villages to the district, all doing one thing –
security in a country where insecurity is commonplace.
The informal economies
operated by regime minders evade taxes; costly foreign trips, medical services
abroad, and the various tax holidays lavished to suspicious investments could
be reviewed.
I am not supporting
taxes on social media access or on mobile money. It hits the poor the most. The
government should introduce cost cutting measures to save money for national
development. It is unfortunate that whenever we want money we turn to mooting cruel
tax regimes.
Hon. Frank, before you
kill us with taxes, let us debate cost cutting measures.
End
