PROMOTION OF A SAVINGS CULTURE ENHANCED IN THE COUNTRY THROUGH SCHEMES WHERE PART OF THE TAXED MONIES WOULD GO TO INDIVIDUALS’ SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
We are witnessing a situation where many people are in debt and the savings are minimal in the country. Government can enact a law that promotes savings. This in practice may be easy to implement if Electronic Identity Cards become a reality and when Computer Internet Network is available countrywide. For those who listen to radio programmes, it is common knowledge that people who waste airtime to ring to radio’s over issues which are a waste of airtime, and some of these people do it regularly, at times merely to greet a presenter! I have on a number of occasions listened to a certain radio station where those with Bukedde newspaper are required to ring in and answer a question regarding the headline on a specific page. It surprises to realize that a number of people actually ring in when they don’t have the paper. These are a category of people who waste a minimal of about shs 500 a day on calls that are not productive. When simple computation is done, one finds that such calls may be made for about 300 days a year; this multiplied by 500/- gives a minimal of 150,000/- in a year! Another example is the money people spend on entertainment. Many people who are seen as poor actually spend a lot on entertainment. A number of local musicians in Uganda are actually supported by people who are better defined as poor, yet these musicians have assets including expensive cars, houses, furniture to mention a few. It is also true that a number of poor people drink beer as well as smoke. These have health problems which eventually affect the lives of these people, and helping them get part of what would be tax money to their credit makes good sense. And the same law can help in environment protection by returning part of the tax to someone who help to collect items which are a hazard to the environment including polythene bags and plastic containers. In practice, manufacturers and importers would pay tax as usual, but then, a percentage of this would go to National Savings Fund, and individuals would have to get credit from the National Savings Fund to their individual Saving Accounts, but these savings would not be readily available to one’s use. One would have to go through some procedures to get authorized to access his/her savings.
The idea is that the poor can be helped to recover part of the money they waste through the introduction of a Law to enhance Savings.
How is the implementation of a Law to enhance savings possible?
Take the case of those who buy airtime. A centre may be opened convenient in each locality where people may take used airtime paper used to load airtime. The law for example could return shs 100/- per shs 1,000 of airtime and have it to the credit of the one who presents the used airtime cards. This in essence would mean that for every shs 1,000 spent on airtime, the buyer would have a credit of shs 100 to his/her savings account and this is an easy transaction as long as all people have Electronic Identity Cards and are in the data base. Regarding those who buy tickets for Music and similar entertainments, these tickets could have a percentage of the gate fee returned to the buyer as a credit to their savings account. To the smokers, these could be encouraged to collect the end bits of the cigarettes and these on being counted would lead to computation of a credit on to one’s Savings account. We have our friends who enjoy beer. The starting point here would be to have beer packed in plastic disposable bottles. One would be required to collect the disposable bottles and present them to a centre where computation would be done to have his account credited with an agreed to amount per bottle. The collecting and Savings Account credit centres would have to retain the collected items for audit purposes and final disposal/destruction. As regards the polythene bags and other plastic bottles, an agreed amount would be put in place per piece of these items be it a plastic bag or an empty plastic bottle. This would mean that we at the end of the day would not have plastics floating on water when it rains and having them everywhere as an environment hazard. In all these instances, the Government would mobilize resources from the people for use for investment purposes (by Government or other corporate organizations), and which resources individuals may be able to call to say when they have problems which among others could include paying medical bills or fees for children and also help in meeting emergencies as well as making of investments out of the funds accumulated overtime.
Some of my works can be accessed on the following links:
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http://www.smackoldboysmagazine.blogspot.com/
http://www.anthonykyemwa.blogspot.com/
http://www.stpeterschurchofugandassisa.blogspot.com/
http://www.allsaintsschoollweza.blogspot.com/
My contact: http://goodgovernancepractice.webs.com/contactme.htm
William Kituuka Kiwanuka
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Kampala.
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VOTE DR OTUNNU TO CHANGE UGANDA AROUND FOR THE BETTER
VOTING PRESIDENT MUSEVENI NOW IS LIKE STANDING ON METAL BARS AT THE SOURCE OF THE NILE
Voting President Museveni for President now spells more disaster for Uganda. You need to have a few facts at hand, look at people's welfare, see the way he manipulates through using bills to deal with his enemies, the way he is single handedly promising districts as of now knowing very well that such approval requires a lot of technical in put. To some voters they see Museveni as one would if standing on the top of the metallic pillars at the source of the Nile, but they forget that it is being on top of danger. Ugandans knowing very well that the Constitution of Uganda before it was manipulated gave a President 2 terms in office, now, Museveni has spent 25 years in office, what do they expect of him? Can we wake up? Those who vote President Museveni are in dreamland.
William Kituuka Kiwanuka
Indeed, judged by his original promises when he came to power in 1986, Mr Museveni has performed dismally. Democracy has increasingly been corroded by militarism and jawing about a liberation struggle most Ugandans are too young to remember. Achievements in macroeconomic policy have been offset by favouritism and corruption. The country is drifting at best. Mr Museveni disparages donors, but uses them to pad out his national budget. Recent oil finds in the Lake Albert basin have made him indispensable to many of those donors, but they need to think carefully about whether another five years of Mr Museveni's increasingly regal and shuffling rule could spell disaster for a country that desperately needs ideas and impetus.
UGANDA HAS A CHANCE TO EMBRACE DR. OTUNNU OR RISK BEING WRITTEN OFF
OLARA OTUNNU AND HIS 2011 MANIFESTO UNPACKED
By Dr. Vincent Magombe
20th Dec 2010
The UPC manifesto, which was launched in Uganda recently by the party President Dr. Olara Otunnu, is a simple, straightforward, and very well written document that has brought a breath of fresh air into the 2011 election campaign dynamics.
It not only gives Ugandans UPC’s objectives, but it also presents them unambiguously and provides the time frames within which certain projects will be implemented.
For example, the manifesto clearly shows that on some of the most contentious issues like the democratic and constitutional rights of Ugandans, UPC under Dr. Olara Otunnu has promised to ensure 100% realization of those rights.
Ugandans will no longer have to fight for these rights. They will just live them; exactly as guaranteed by the constitution of Uganda. So actually, the Otunnu government will merely actualise the requirement of the constitution of Uganda.
On the Federo question, a national convention will be held. There, a constructive dialogue will be tabled between all Ugandans with a view to adopting a common ground for the way forward for entire country.
On the economy, and social development in general, UPC will bring back the party’s vigour and vision of the 1960s which saw many hospitals and schools built. Besides, a clean and uncorrupted civil service will be deployed to efficiently serve the nation.
Equally important is the de-politicization of the military and security forces. The UPC manifesto reminds us that in a civilised society, the army is there to defend the country against external aggression; not to negatively meddle in the country’s politics.
But most importantly, not to defend an unpopular and illegitimate president in the form of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni! I believe that in Olara Otunnu, Uganda is now having a presidential candidate with a new and sincere commitment to real freedoms and rights for the people of Uganda.
The other contribution that Olara Otunnu is bringing is his dedication to the campaign for an independent and unbiased Electoral Commission. The launch of his National Social Movement and his mobilisation of Ugandans for free and fair elections are indicative of a leader who is not merely seeking for power.
His vision is one of establishing a proper democratic infrastructure that can serve as the foundation for sustainable economic advancement, political stability, and socio-cultural co-existence. He is determined to construct political and socio-economic systems which are for the benefit, development, and promotion of the wider Ugandan society.
The Otunnu vision is one that seeks to build governance infrastructures that can wither political storms and crises, and outlive presidents, army generals, and powerful so-called “Super Ministers”.
UPC LAUNCHES MANIFESTO
Written by Ikebesi Omoding Thursday, 09 December 2010 13:26
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The Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) launched its long-awaited manifesto with fanfare at the Kakindu Grounds in Jinja two days ago. Jinja, the venue, was suggestive of the crisis in the country; and the manifesto a mark of astute address to other festering crises. Jinjs used to be the industrial hub of the country, but it is virtually now a ghost town with its hinterland having people infested with jiggers.
At the outset the UPC Manifesto is about rehabilitation and reconstruction of a damaged Uganda. The NRM regime has fractured the country and re-uniting it is an urgent national project. Not only is it in socio-economic doldrums - with highly touted statistics of growth masking abject mass poverty, but it faces a moral morass in which child sacrifice and the burning of schools has been the order of the day - practices apparently given license.
The UPC document addresses the problems in 27 broad sections, each systematically dealt with as: an analysis of the problem; gives an opinion of the present NRM policy on the matter; and, offers an objective, targets and alternative direction for solving the relevant problem.
The first issues it deals with can be batched as agriculture, education, health and unemployment. Unemployment is the barometer that indicates the sickness of the economy and reflected in the dismal performance in the other sectors.
Uganda has consistently failed to meet the Maputo Protocol in agriculture which mandated each African country to posit its budget at 15%. The agriculture budget has stagnated at 4%, yet this is loudly shouted truly as the backbone of the economy employing more than 85% of the population.
The party proposes to revert to the old system of co-operatives to subsidize farmers in different forms. Through this it will revive the Co-operative Bank and the marketing boards so as to stabilize prices and secure the performance of the non-traditional crops. This also slightly touches on the environment where the attention of the party is to immediately protect Mabira Forest while "developing a comprehensive programme for land use".
Education has suffered massively under the much-hyped Universal Primary Education (UPE) and its sister USE - the secondary school equivalent. UPE is spewing more than seven million children in enrolment, 65% of whom drop-out before reaching Primary Seven, unable to read or write. Even those who go forward have a sub-standard learning, worsening the problem of unemployment. This has created a dire situation of unemployed in which the youth lacking direction.
An indication is that this is a time bomb waiting to explode: indeed Uganda had a preview of it in last September Riots when Kabaka Ronald Mutebi was prevented from visiting part of his kingdom in Kayunga.
UPC plans to restore serious and quality education as it used to be in its first government. It will invest heavily in building more classrooms at the primary sector and more schools at the secondary level. In so doing it will reduce the teacher pupil ration to between 40 and 50, which is currently standing at an average of 150 pupils. (This columnist has even seen a class of more than 360 pupils in Northern Uganda).
It will abolish the State House Scholarship Scheme and plans to establish a Youth Corps who will be involved in payable employment in some sectors, such as teaching in lower classes, as they wait advancing their studies provided for by scholarships.
Closely in tandem is the perilous health sector. It is characterized by high mother and child mortality rates. No wonder the 22 hospitals which the first UPC government built have been left to go to rot. Now, were UPC to return to the helm of leadership, it will refurbish and expand all these and make available drugs which are currently lacking even in the basic established 1-1V Health Centers.
This also hinges on the sector of the women which has faced a lot of lip-service while it is treated more or less as a run-of-the-mill. And as the manifesto deals with this it takes into account entrepreneurship and small scale traders and Jua Kali artisans. All these and other Ugandans are affected by the poor state of roads and other infrastructure. The party hopes to expand these and have all roads be of all-weather quality; besides it wants to rehabilitate the destroyed railway system.
Needless to say, the manifesto discusses many other matters which cover: democracy, corruption, violence against children, good neighbourliness with a constructive engagement in the East African Community, the Diaspora and other international relations. On democracy, it hopes to establish an independent electoral commission that is agreed upon by all the stakeholders. Towards national healing it will establish a truth, accountability and reconciliation commission.
There is need to tackle corruption head on because it operated very perniciously at the highest levels and has distorted the economy since those operate on influence peddling which has been termed "investors". The UPC Manifesto promises to have all its leaders lead by example unlike the present regime where the top leadership is enmeshed in theft.
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