Pain of giving what belongs unto Caesar

By GRACE NAKATO

Uganda Revenue Authority (Ura ) took out space in the leading local dailies and published a list of shame — government ministries that default on tax. We all know that the small man is the easiest to chase and, therefore, the poor mwananchi is the one bearing the brunt.

Government increased our tax burden in the current budget and are now trying to pass a law whereby the Ura can access our bank accounts and force those of us operating under the radar to pay up.

A bank may be a private entity but whoever has the big guns rules the day. This was evidenced recently when a manager at a leading bank almost spent a night in the coolers, after he failed to grant Ura access to the accounts of alleged tax defaulters. The Ura  wants to be in a position to track all revenue streams, and ensure it is tapped at the source. Little wonder Ugandans don’t trust banks. Only 4.5 million Ugandans out of the 33 million have bank accounts.

Dubious

We are now reverting to our mattress accounts because mobile money, which has been quite affordable and easy to access, is now taxable. I wish the mattress manufacturers could make mattresses with a sealable pocket, to ensure we don’t have to damage a new mattress by creating a slit to stash the cash we make from dubious deals.

Mostly, whenever you get a new job, your employer gives you a medical card to cater for those days when your body needs a tune-up after breaking down when least expected. Those with medical cover tend not to fall sick often enough to maximise on the benefit and would perhaps wish those cards could be converted to cold hard cash. This, I hear, actually happens right under the nose of the medical providers.

First, you develop a relationship at the recommended pharmacist. Pharmacies these days stock everything from chocolates to perfumes. You can, therefore, actually supplement your grocery shopping at the pharmacy and get a nice rounded off receipt written “medicines”. The optical cover can be used to get some prescription sunglasses for those blessed with 20:20 vision for opportunity.

Loans

Necessity is the mother of ingenuity. The list of partner hospitals and clinics is long and you only need to fall sick once a month during that “corner mbaya” period. Use a different hospital or clinic each time and they will simply give you a new form to fill each time. These people do not share your “medical history” across the board, because it is a business run by the game of numbers.

You can, therefore, run a side hustle selling your medical insurance for petty cash to friends who do not have this benefit.

Those of you who doubt the success of my venture do not live in Kampala where banks and microfinances are a dime a dozen. With more than 60 banks, you can take out a loan in each and every one and live over and beyond your means, until next year when you may need to declare bankruptcy before skipping town.