The Government of Uganda through the National Forestry Authority (NFA) is facilitating the planting of 10 million trees across the country ahead of the Taxpayer Appreciation Week .
In a statement, URA that is spearheading the Taxpayer Appreciation Week says NFA has made available free tree seedlings in its 32 locations across the country and Ugandans are free to collect the seedlings and plant them on September 21, 2018.
Ugandans are encouraged to plant the trees, take pictures and share them on various social media platforms.
Government is facilitating the planting of trees to mark the National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day of all government ministries and agencies. Ugandans are also encouraged to plant their own seedlings including herbal, fruits and commercial trees.
All government agencies will participate in a national CSR on the same day (September 21, 2018) across the entire country.
It is worth noting that September was chosen as the Taxpayer Appreciation Month and the last week of the month will mark the Taxpayer Appreciation Week 2018.
The Taxpayer Appreciation week is a Government initiative started in 2017 where Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) come together to showcase the impact of the budgetary allocation to the communities.
“It also provides the visibility of Government achievements in the Financial Year which ultimately answers the question of accountability for the Tax revenue,” URA says, adding: “In addition, this platform is necessary for the public to provide dialogue and feedback to the MDAs. This in turn creates an opportunity for the public to appreciate the role of taxes and hence build a stronger compliance culture.”
In 2017, under the guidance of the Office of the Prime Minister, URA in partnership with other MDAs successfully organised a 3-day Taxpayer Appreciation week from 24th to 28th September, at Kololo Independence grounds where 69 MDAs participated.
The event attracted over 60,000 people who accessed free CSR services provided by the MDAs and the Private Sector. These included; yellow fever vaccinations, dental services, eye tests, cancer screening, blood donations, subsidized registration of births, legal services, verification of land titles and National ID registrations.
