Ugandan government to impose tax on Bibles and Korans
Tue May 15, 2018 12:24:pm Africa
3.8K By Obiaks Blog
Clerics from both the muslim and christian have been surprised by an order from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) asking religious groups to start paying taxes on Bibles, Korans, prayer and hymn books.
The clerics have asked that religious materials should be tax-exempt since they use them for "spiritual nourishment" of Ugandans.
In a petition written by Church of Uganda's Archbishop, Stanley Ntagali last month, the prelate asked the tax authority to release a consignment of 9,120 prayer and hymn books imported from Nairobi, Kenya, without the church having to pay VAT.
Written on March 18, Archbishop Ntagali noted that items had been shipped in by Centenary Publishing House Limited, Church of Uganda's (CoU) publishing arm, which he said should be tax-exempt.
"It is from this point of view that we write to you, appealing that the VAT be waived... since they (books) are used to educate the masses and Christians by spreading the word of God as our nation's motto affirms, ‘For God and my country," he stated.
Reacting to the petition, URA commissioner general, Ms Doris Akol said the practice of not taxing the entities and materials was in the first place "an anomaly".
"We understand that Value-Added Tax (VAT) has in the past not been paid on the said Bibles, prayer books and hymn books. This was an anomaly," she wrote in an April 19 letter.
Ms Akol added that she had no power to waive a tax not excluded under the law and, as such, URA released the consignment only after CoU paid 8.9 million Ugandan shillings.
The secretary general of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, an umbrella body of different faiths, Mr Joshua Kitakule, yesterday said an eighteen per cent VAT on Bibles, Korans and prayer books would be "erroneous".
"These items are not meant for profit; so, it is erroneous to tax them. Prayer books are supposed to strengthen the spiritual nourishment of individuals," he said.
The move by the country's tax authority followed months of engagement with religious leaders who still oppose the proposal.
The clerics have asked that religious materials should be tax-exempt since they use them for "spiritual nourishment" of Ugandans.
In a petition written by Church of Uganda's Archbishop, Stanley Ntagali last month, the prelate asked the tax authority to release a consignment of 9,120 prayer and hymn books imported from Nairobi, Kenya, without the church having to pay VAT.
Written on March 18, Archbishop Ntagali noted that items had been shipped in by Centenary Publishing House Limited, Church of Uganda's (CoU) publishing arm, which he said should be tax-exempt.
"It is from this point of view that we write to you, appealing that the VAT be waived... since they (books) are used to educate the masses and Christians by spreading the word of God as our nation's motto affirms, ‘For God and my country," he stated.
Reacting to the petition, URA commissioner general, Ms Doris Akol said the practice of not taxing the entities and materials was in the first place "an anomaly".
"We understand that Value-Added Tax (VAT) has in the past not been paid on the said Bibles, prayer books and hymn books. This was an anomaly," she wrote in an April 19 letter.
Ms Akol added that she had no power to waive a tax not excluded under the law and, as such, URA released the consignment only after CoU paid 8.9 million Ugandan shillings.
The secretary general of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, an umbrella body of different faiths, Mr Joshua Kitakule, yesterday said an eighteen per cent VAT on Bibles, Korans and prayer books would be "erroneous".
"These items are not meant for profit; so, it is erroneous to tax them. Prayer books are supposed to strengthen the spiritual nourishment of individuals," he said.
The move by the country's tax authority followed months of engagement with religious leaders who still oppose the proposal.
The government has also proposed to impose new taxes, including on social media users in the next Financial Year as Uganda struggles to wean itself off donors.
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