URA deploys at shopping centers to effect EFRIS

KAMPALA – The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Monday morning enforced the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) in most of the shopping centers in Kampala and other urban centers.

The exercise launched countrywide enables the tax body to monitor non-issuance of e-receipts and e-invoices and several other inconsistences in the supply chain of goods without digital stamps.

The Tax body introduced the exercise in January 2021 with intent to administratively offer a long-term solution to digital tax stamps, e-invoicing, e-receipting all tailored to improving efficiency.

All Value Added Tax (VAT) registered taxpayers are required to issue e-invoices/e-receipts in their business transactions through EFRIS a system that allows the tax body real time access to the data, and as a requirement, all gazzeted products are supposed to bear a digital tax stamp.

The gazzeted products include; bottled water, soda, beer, wines, spirits, cigarettes, sugar and cement.

Paddy Ocheng, the Manager in charge of domestic taxes operations in the central region says, businesses will comply because they want to avoid unnecessary penalties. Supplying goods and services without issuing an e-invoice/e-receipt or manufacturing, importing of gazzeted products without a Digital Tax Stamp is an offence.

Ever since its introduction, EFRIS and DTS have businesses that have not been vigilant on its use, prompting the tax body to deploy a whip.

Reports indicate that there has been continuous supply of goods and services by VAT registered taxpayers without issuing e-invoices/e-receipts with several businesses still holding unstamped gazzeted products.

Supplying of goods and services without issuing an e-invoice/e-receipt or manufacturing, importing of gazzeted products without a Digital Tax Stamp are offences punishable by law.

The General public is therefore encouraged to purchase gazzeted items that are affixed with digital tax stamps and also demand their e-receipts or e-invoices to avoid any inconveniences.

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COP26: UK Premier tells world to plant a trillion trees by 2030 to fix the air

UNITED KINGDOM – The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Monday, called on the world to plant a trillion trees by 2030, as it is the only non-technical way to “fix the carbon in the air.”

“We can plant hundreds of millions of trees, a trillion. It is not technologically difficult, and halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Not that it is a spiritually beautiful and uplifting thing to do, but because that is the way to restore that balance of nature and to fix carbon in the air.”

The UK is hosting the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) which started October 31,2021. The conference is being attended by about 2500 delegates and thousands of activists at the Scottish Event Campus.

Speaking during the first part of the High-level segment for heads of state and government, Boris stressed the need to reverse climate change by reducing the rising temperature of the planet, which he says is entirely man-made.

“The doom’s day clock is furiously ticking as the world is covered in an invisible and suffocating blanket of Carbon dioxide,” Boris said.

He warned that, if not controlled, rising temperature by 2 degrees more will jeopardize the entire food supply for hundreds of millions of people.

“If we don’t get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow.”

One of the four main focuses of COP26 centers on achieving four main things; securing a net global zero by midcentury, and keeping the temperature within 1.5 degrees.

These goals were arrived at during the Paris Agreement, in 2015. The agreement, adopted by 196 countries, during the COP21, is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, to limit global warming below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

To achieve these ambitions, countries will have to deliver these targets by midcentury through; curbing deforestation, fast-tracking the phasing out of coal, switching to electric cars, and encouraging investment in renewable energy.

However, Boris said promises made at the 2015 Paris Agreement such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero will mean nothing if countries do not begin to close down on the billions of hydrocarbon combustion chambers littered all over the world with greater speed and efficiency.

He says, the UK will lead by ending new car sales by 2030 and urged developed countries to end the use of coal-fed power stations by 2030.

“We can phase out the use of cars with hydrocarbon internal combustion engines by 2030. The UK is taking a lead in ending new sales by 2030. We can end the use of coal-fed power stations by 2040 in the developing countries, and 2030 in the richer nations,” Boris said.

But for the net-zero goal to come to fruition, developing countries need huge sums of money. In 2009, developed countries, during COP15 in Copenhagen promised to raise 100 billion US dollars from public and private sources each year by 2020 to avert climate crisis in developing countries.

However published figures by Organization for Cooperation and Development by 2019, only $80 billion had been raised.

Boris said the money will not be delivered until 2023, while stressing that it is the mandate of the developed countries to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change, which is mainly a doing of the rich countries.

“Because it was here in Glasgow, 250 years ago that James Watt came up with a machine that was powered by steam that was produced by burning coal.”

“And yes, my friends we brought you to the very place where the doomsday machine began to tick. And even though for 200 years, the developed countries were in complete ignorance of the problem we were creating, we now have to find those funds.”

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said the last six years after the Paris Agreement were the hottest on record.

“Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink. We face a stark choice: Either we stop it or it stops us,” Guterres said.

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Embrace agriculture, UNOC ED tells Kingdom subjects

HOIMA – The Executive Director (ED) for Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) Proscovia Nabbajja has warned the people of Bunyoro against abandoning other sectors in favor for oil and gas sector.

On Thursday, a delegation from UNOC led by the ED Nabbajja had a closed-door meeting with the Bunyoro Kitara kingdom officials led by the Kingdom Prime Minister and discussed different ways on how the youth and women can be empowered to be able to benefit from the oil and gas sector.

UNOC is a limited liability petroleum company in Uganda and owned by the Ugandan government.

Its overall function is to handle the Government of Uganda’s commercial interests in the petroleum sector and to ensure that the resource is exploited in a sustainable manner.

Speaking to theCooperator news after the meeting with the Kingdom, Nabbajja said, as the country heads to production of oil and gas, many people have put their focus only on this sector.

She noted that such an anxiety is likely to affect sectors such as agriculture, tourism and fishing among others.

She noted that there is need for Ugandans, mostly the people of Bunyoro Kitara kingdom to embrace other sectors such as agriculture to avoid the Dutch disease which is faced by several oil producing countries.

In economics, the Dutch disease is the apparent causal relationship between the increase in the economic development of a specific sector like the natural resources and decline in other sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.

“We need to create an environment where people are thinking beyond oil and gas because oil is a finite resource and we need to look at complementary services that are going to keep Bunyoro alive even after the oil and gas; so is it an area that we can interest women and youths? Absolutely yes, ” she noted.

She added that UNOC has agreed to partner with Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom to prepare women and youth as one way of preparing such groups for the sector.

Nabbajja says, UNOC is committed to see that Ugandans especially the kingdom subjects get prepared to tap into the upcoming oil and gas opportunities.

She added that under their partnership, UNOC will help women groups and youth to register on the National suppliers’ data base to ensure that they get a chance to get involved in the oil business.

She also promised that UNOC will empower youth groups with different skills such as financial literacy and issues of standards. She explained that quality and standards is a key in the oil and gas sector which many business people lack.

https://thecooperator.news/cooperative-societies-urged-to-tap-into-oil-sector-opportunities/

The Kingdom Prime Minister, Andrew Byakutanga commended UNOC for the partnership and promised that the Kingdom will identify the existing women and youth groups and know their challenges and then recommend them to benefit from the initiative.

He explained that 60% women are involved in agriculture but most of them lack skills, adding that skilling them will be an added advantage which will help such groups to supply quality goods and services to the oil and gas sector.

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Katakwi district leaders on the spotlight over illegal operation of livestock loading site

KATAKWI – The Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries has directed the leadership of Katakwi district to stop the illegal operations of Apolin livestock loading site with immediate effect to contain further spread of foot and mouth disease.

This follows defiance by the cattle traders as they continue transacting business and loading livestock in the said site despite restrictions by the Ministry.

In August, this year, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries imposed partial livestock quarantine in Katakwi district following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in five sub-counties.

The sub-counties that were put under quarantine according to the Ministry are; Kapujan, Katakwi, Getom, Akoboi and Akulonyo.

According to a letter dated 20th August, 2021 and signed by Dr. Doris Kiconco on behalf of the Commissioner, Animal Health in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, all the surrounding areas within the radius of 20km are also affected.

“Consequently, the movement of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs; beef, milk and other animal products and by-products from, to, through and within the quarantine area is prohibited with immediate effect,” part of the letter reads.

The Ministry also banned the sale and purchase of cattle, goats, sheep and pigs and their products in the quarantine areas as a measure to contain the disease.

The disease that was first reported in the districts of Kapelebyong, Serere, Soroti and Kaberemaido in Teso sub-region region and Kotido, Abim, Napak in Karamoja sub-region among others has left 100 animals dead in the affected areas in a period of three months.

Despite the ban on livestock markets and loading sites, Apolin livestock loading site located at Katakwi sub-county which is one of the areas under quarantine has continued operating at the watch of the district leaders.

Sources close to the site accuse the district leaders following failure to enforce the livestock quarantine by allowing livestock trade to take place in the area.

They claim that the district leaders extort bribes from the livestock traders so as to allow them to continue loading animals in the loading site despite the restrictions.

This has prompted the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries to intervene and stop the operation of the said livestock loading site.

In a letter authored on 20th of October, 2021 and signed by Zonal Veterinary Inspector North-East Uganda, Dr. Robert Ojala, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries and addressed to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) which theCooperator has obtained a copy, Katakwi district leadership is directed to seal off Apolin livestock loading site as soon as possible.

“I do write to your office over the illegal operation of Apolin livestock loading site, following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease reported on 1st August, 2021, quarantine restrictions were imposed in the sub-counties of Kapujan, Getomi, Katakwi and Okulonyo as per the quarantine restrictions letter of 20th August, 2021″, the letter reads in part.

According to Dr. Ojala, Apolin livestock loading site lies within the areas under restrictions and allowing it to operate is a breach of the Animal diseases Act Chap 38.

“The livestock markets, livestock loading sites, slaughter places including butchers, animal shows, movement of cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, their products and by-products from to, through and within the affected areas are prohibited until further notice,” said Dr. Ojala.

The local government administrators who include the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), District Police Commander (DPC), District Internal Security Officer (DISO), District Veterinary Officer (DVO), Chiefs, and Enforcement Officers are directed to enforce quarantine restrictions as per the Veterinary Technical Manual for the control of movement of animals and animal products in Uganda Chapter 7, section 7.2 and Chapter 6.

Meanwhile, John Stephen Ekoom, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Katakwi blames the politicians for frustrating efforts of the police in enforcing the livestock quarantine in the affected areas.

“Some of the political leaders are encouraging members of the public to oppose the quarantine imposed by the government following an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth-Disease because they want to gain cheap popularity,” Ekoom claimed.

Ekoom who also doubles as the Chairperson Katakwi district Security Committee said, his office is going to be at the forefront in enforcing the directives of the Ministry being the representative of the president in the district.

He warned that anybody found transacting livestock business in the areas under livestock quarantine shall be arrested and arraigned in the courts of law for disobeying government directives.

Section 7 and Section 29 of Animal Diseases [Amendment] Act 2005 states that no person shall remove from a place of quarantine any animal, carcass, fodder, wool, butter, ghee or dung except with the sanction of the inspecting officer.

A person who contravenes such rules is liable to a fine not exceeding Shs.100,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding a month or both.

But Geoffrey Omolo, the Katakwi LCV Chairperson refutes the allegations labelled against the political wing and accused the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of failing to employ preventive measures.

“There is a serious weakness in the line ministry because they are aware of the source of FMD , but instead of establishing an isolation centre or a holding ground at the border between Teso and Karamoja livestock can be done before allowing them to enter districts in Teso, they are emphasizing on vaccination which is costly,” he said.

This is not the first time Katakwi district is put under partial livestock quarantine. In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries imposed quarantine in the sub-counties of Ngariam and Palama which border Napak, and Abim districts in Karamoja sub-region due to foot and mouth disease outbreak.

It was then lifted in September, 2021, after the livestock in the affected area, a total of 5000 heads of cattle were vaccinated against the disease.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ariko Onyait, the Katakwi District Veterinary Officer blamed the fast spread of the disease on quark veterinary doctors and also the traders who smuggle sick animals and take them to areas that do not have the disease.

According to Dr. Onyait, they are doing everything possible to save the livestock in the district.

“Following the letter from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, we have embarked on sensitizing farmers on the disease control measures,” he said.

Apart from Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, Dr. Onyait, also said Katakwi district is currently struggling to manage other different diseases that include; the Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Lumpy Skin disease, Anaplasmosis and Black Quarter.

He therefore, challenged the public to respect the imposed quarantine, as they wait for government intervention.

History of Foot and Mouth Disease in Uganda.

The first FMD outbreak in Uganda was recorded in 1953. Since then, the outbreaks occur annually.
In 2014, FMD hit about 30 districts across the country and the government imposed quarantine on the sale of beef and other dairy products. The quarantine was lifted six months later.

The disease struck again last year and several livestock farmers in the cattle corridor districts lost a number of animals.

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