An importer displays material used to make men’s clothes as textile traders petitioned the Speaker (right) on Friday, 24 July 2020
Textile manufacturers and traders have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, over the high increase in import duty charged on their products.
Bridget Mwagale who led a team of textile traders to petition the Speaker, said that Government increased the import duty tax from Shs40 million to Shs400 million per container measuring 20 feet.
“In the new tax, we are charged US$5 per kilogramme of the textile. The fabric we import is very heavy. If we are to measure it in kilos, there is no way we can make profit after selling to the end user,” she said.
The petitioners met the Speaker at Parliament today, Friday 24 July 2020. The meeting was attended by Kampala Central MP, Hon. Muhammad Nsereko, who had also raised the concerns during the plenary sitting on Thursday 23 July 2020.
She added that they import fabric from China because it is not available in the Ugandan textile manufacturing industries.
“We are trying to promote government’s policy of Buy Uganda, Build Uganda by importing raw materials but add value by tailoring and selling to Ugandans,” she said.
Speaker Kadaga pledged to follow up the matter with the Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority.
“I will meet the Commissioner General with the Minister of Finance to find a way forward,” she said.
