A section of lawmakers opposed to the 0.5 percent tax on mobile money transactions have vowed to fight and fail it. The 0.5 percent mobile money tax is provided under the Excise Duty (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, a reduction from the current 1 percent.
Voting on the Bill flopped last week due to lack of quorum. Only 97 MPs were in the house out of the required 156 legislators to pass the bill. There are over 450 legislators in the Tenth Parliament.
Addressing Journalists at Parliament Monday afternoon, the Nakaseke South MP, Luttamaguzi Semakula and his Manjiya counterpart, John Baptist Nambeshe, said they are determined to fight on.
Luttamaguzi is among the three MPs who signed a minority report opposing the tax. The others are Patrick Isiagi of Kachumbala County and Moses Walyomu of Kagoma County. Both MPs are from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
Luttamaguzi appealed to NRM MPs who were slated to caucus at State House in Entebbe at 4pm evening to come up with a stand over the matter and avoid being compromised by President Yoweri Museveni.
Nambeshe also cautioned his fellow legislators not to be compromised.
Legislators from the ruling NRM party have been summoned for a caucus meeting ahead of the controversial debate and vote on the Mobile money tax tomorrow. President, Yoweri Museveni who also doubles as the NRM chairperson is expected to chair the caucus meeting.
It isn’t unusual for NRM legislators to caucus when controversial laws come to the floor of parliament for approval.
– URN
