Kiganda Ssonko
10 May 2004
Kampala — UGANDA now has 465,574 private vehicles, according to the current data from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) licencing unit.
URA expects to collect over sh39b in road licenses, a 19.5% increment the previous year.
Stamp duty revenue is also expected to increase by 40.7% to sh5.8b from sh3.4bn the previous year while revenue earnings from driving permits would top sh3.9b from sh3.4b the previous year.
"By the end of this fiscal year, revenue collected by URA from licenses alone would be over sh39b, compared to sh33b last year," Agnes Mwanja, the URA licensing commissioner said in a recent interview.
She said the revenue collections would greatly go beyond the current projections "if we computerise
the screening and payment procedure in all our 22 licensing units in the whole country. We are targeting a convenient and accurate payment and acquisition of licenses."
Mwanja said the 465,574 number of vehicles involved those on the roads, impounded and those involved in accidents after registration.
"According to our records, we have 465,574 vehicles at present. This is a very big number that has increased over the years. It is due to increase in the level of investment in the country. People have got the capacity to buy vehicles for commercial and private use," Mwanja said.
She said the number excluded Government vehicles which were not licensed by URA.
She said attributed the surge in numbers to no restrictions on the age of imported vehicles. Other reasons include increasedpopulation, growing economy, credit facilities by banks and other financial institutions, use of the Internet and the existence of various local vehicle dealing companies.
"Some people go to Japan, Germany and other countries where they buy or collect spare and junk parts from dumping centres and import them here. We removed restrictions of age because we could not tell how old is a given vehicle. This has increased the number tremendously since relative vehicles of various generations look like new ones," she said.
Mwanja said in Japan, vehicles were driven for just four year "and these are the ones that are imported into Third World Countries as new after being refurbished."
She said according to records, there were about 737,190 driving permits thorughout the country.
This meant some drivers did not have permits or organisations and individuals bought more cars for without employed drivers.
Edward Luande, the URA principal revenue officer in the motor vehicle registration unit, over 70 vehicles were registered everyday. This meant 1,600 vehicles were registered monthly, at leats in the past two years.
"Before, URA used to register around 1,300 vehicles. But still there are some peak periods when we register many vehicles and this is mainly in December and June towards the budget reading when dealers have higher speculations in it. They decide to clear their taxes, beat the deadlines and then start off well with the new fiscal year," Luande said.
URA records indicate that Uganda had 417,551, 431,213, and 447,727 private vehicles in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively.
Luande said Japanese vehicles dominated the import list.
He said the various local vehicle dealing firms and individuals had made it easier to acquire vehicles.
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