Vice-chancellors want VAT on universities scrapped

The Ugandan government should exempt universities and other institutions of learning from paying some taxes to enable them to deliver on their mandate better, university leaders have said, writes Ritah Kemigisa for the Daily Monitor.

Reverend Canon John Senyonyi, the vice-chancellor of Uganda Christian University (UCU) and chairperson of the Uganda Vice Chancellors’ Forum, said last month that his forum has written to the country’s leader President Yoweri Museveni asking for a meeting to discuss this and other matters. He singled out the value added tax (VAT) on supplies, which he said makes construction and development work in universities very expensive. “This tax and others need to be completely waived or reduced significantly since government is concerned about development. Right now, if I am to put up any building at the university, it is very expensive,” he said.

He made the remarks at the launch of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication at the university’s campus in Kampala. Senyonyi said that in the meeting university leaders hope to have with the president, they will re-outline their development objectives and priorities, and explain the challenges they face.
Full report on the Daily Monitor site