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By Mulengera Reporters
URA has launched a powerful sensitization campaign to combat a deadly and costly plague of fake goods, in West Nile. With over 54% of products on the Ugandan market estimated to be fake, the country is losing a mind-blowing UGX 6 trillion every year, according to the Anti-Counterfeit Network.
“Most of these goods don’t just cheat the taxman. They put consumers in danger,” said Aggrey Bajungu Arinaitwe, the man leading URA’s enforcement of the Digital Tax Stamp (DTS) in the Northern region.
First introduced in 2019, DTS is URA’s silver bullet, a small, coded sticker now found on 13 essential products like sugar, cement, cooking oil, soda, alcohol, and wine.
It’s more than a sticker, but proof that a product is safe and taxes have been paid, as per URA’s Joshua Muwonge, from the Tax Education team.
But many traders, especially those in smaller towns, have been clueless, saying that they see these stamps but they don’t know what they mean. The campaign is now aiming to bridge that gap.
From Adjumani to Koboko, traders and consumers have been receiving critical information, and the response is encouraging. “This is timely and now understand what to look for,” said Ali, a trader in Yumbe town.
Products without the DTS stamp are now illegal and offenders face a penalty of UGX 50 million or double the evaded tax, whichever is higher. “We are now shifting focus to the distributors, wholesalers, and big retailers,” Arinaitwe said, stressing that enforcement will not spare anyone in the supply chain.
The campaign, which resumes after Easter, will move to Arua, Odramacaku, Paidha, Nebbi, and Pakwach, as URA fights to reclaim lost revenue and restore market integrity. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
