Non-Governmental Organizations involved in philanthropy have called on Government to exempt them from taxes as one way of stimulating generosity at local level.
The appeal was made today at a symposium for journalists, communication experts, and civil society representatives, organized by the Uganda National NGO Forum- UNNGOF in collaboration with CivSource Africa, at Royal Suites Hotel, Bugolobi, in Kampala.
The Uganda National NGO Forum represents over 700 NGOs working in various sectors across the country.
The UNNGOF Head of Governance and Civic Engagement, Mr. Chris Nkwatsibwe, revealed that they had already started engaging Government on the need to design a Policy to regulate Generous Giving in the country, and their demands include tax exemptions on charitable works.
He revealed that on Thursday they had a meeting with Officials from different agencies at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, and Government expressed the will to gradually reduce the tax burden on NGOs involved in philanthropy.
“However, we are insisting that this is long overdue, because NGOs have played a significant role in supporting the National economy. Why should anyone make it difficult for us to operate?” Nkwatsibwe asked.
Robert Ninyesiga, Program Coordinator of Philanthropy for Development at the Uganda National NGO Forum noted that they were also frustrated by the bureaucracy and the high costs involved in registration and acquisition of operational licenses.
“Government has institutionalized generosity and to do any charity works, sometimes we travel almost cross the whole country looking for requirements to register as an NGO. All that is money being spent, and some people give up in the process,” Ninyesiga said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jacqueline Asiimwe, Executive Officer of CivSource Africa and Chairperson of the East African Philanthropy Network (EAPN), highlighted the need for the media to pick interest in documenting acts of local philanthropy in order to change the narrative that Africa and particularly Uganda entirely depends on foreign donations.
“We have so many local philanthropists doing wonders in this country and their contributions are in billions of shillings, but their stories are not being told. That’s why we are asking the media to pattern with us and bring out these stories, so that we can stimulate more local generosity,” she said.
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