Bugembe town council has resolved to commence levying property tax rates despite opposition from landlords.
This follows a council resolution this morning to collect the tax from every property owner in Bugembe town council.
The resolution comes after close to a month of resistance from land loads and commercial property owners in Bugembe, who met the council heads on three occasions but did not agree on the tax. Up to 400 land lords and property owners met yesterday at maternity ward and vowed to demonstrate early next month in protest of property rates tax. Property owners say the tax is unlawful and has been imposed on them to benefit the leaders in the town council.
Last year the former town council chairperson, Sula Ssentongo, had agreed that each land lord with a building in Bugembe town council pays at least 20,000/- for each building.
Abdul Batambuze, Bugembe town council town clerk says the tax is levied according to the local government act and land lords and property owners must pay the tax as a mandate. He says town council officials will move door to door with proper identity and will offer receipts to those who pay the property tax.
Steven Wante, the Bugembe Local council III Chairman says the tax is lawful and its collection should be implemented by the current leadership for the town council to get more revenue. He adds that under the local government act 1997, the tax is determined by the sitting council.
Elisa Ssemujju, the head of the Land Lords says they are to convene another meeting with all the land loads to see a way forward on the property rates tax. He says most land loads and property owners have paid more to council officials but do not know what they were paying for. He says the meeting will aim at identifying who was given money that was not receipted.
