Immaculate Wanyenze
Smugglers have continuously changed tactics by falsifying destinations of consignments, concealed goods and employing unscrupulous agents in order to cheat taxes. However, URA has plugged another gear to cover those costly loopholes to push up its revenue collection figures.
Hajara Kyomugisha, is the latest “business person” that can attest to URA ’s intelligence guided operations.
For long, her truck registration number UAP 545L had been on the hunt for constantly concealing smuggled goods and not paying taxes. Kyomugisha ’s driver, a one Edgar had exploited the switch-in-number plates tactic to seize every opportunity of making big profits from this illicit activity with no URA officer detecting what they were carrying.
“They had built a false compartment inside the truck, so when you would encounter the truck and do rummaging without being keen, you would easily think that it is empty,” Emasu Emmanuel the URA officer that outsmarted the truck driver narrated.
Edgar ‘s 40 days of enjoyment were no more. When the truck was flagged off in Ntinda last week, he was like an antelope caught in the headlights. He scampered before the officer could even peep inside the truck.
The truck was impounded and driven to Nakawa for further verification and offence management. A report conducted recently, revealed concealment of Garments, Rice, Fabrics and herbal soap as shown below;
| DESCRIPTION OF GOODS: | ITEMS 157ROLLS OF PLAIN POLYESTER LINING MATERIAL 60ROLLS OF PLAIN POLYESTER MATERIAL, 20ROLLS OF PRINTED POLYESTER SPANDEX MATERIAL, 71ROLLS OF PRINTED VISCOSE MATERIAL 100CTNSX10PCS OF SEAMLESS PAYMENT POINT OF SALE MACHINES (POS) CHINA 16BAGSX25KGS OF SANA LONG GRAIN PARBOILED RICE PAKISTAN 9BAGSX25KGS OF BARAF BASMATI PARBOILED RICE PAKISTAN 1CTNX10PCSX1KG ALOEVERA HERBAL WASHING BAR SOAP, KENYA 150PCS OF GIRLS POLYCOTTON NETTED SLEEVELESS PARTY DRESSES (2588), 110PCS OF GIRLS POLYESTER NETTED SLEEVELESS PARTY DRESSES 34PCS OF BABY POLYESTER NETTED SLEEVELESS PARTY DRESSES, 32PCS OF GIRLS COTTON BALLET DRESSES 40SETS OF 2PCS OF BABY POLYESTER 28SETS OF 2PCS OF BABY COTTON NETTED DRESSES 519PCS OF LADIES POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVED LONG DRESSES 492PCS OF LADIES POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVED LONG DRESSES, 24PCS OF LADIES POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVED BUTTERFLY FREE DRESSES, 100PCS OF LADIES POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVED DRESSES 10PCS OF LADIES POLYESTER MEDIUM SLEEVED DRESSES 17PCS OF TEENAGER POLYESTER SHORT SLEEVED DRESSES 12PCS OF TEENAGER GIRLS SHAPING STRETCHING JEANS 195PCS OF BABY BOYS SHORT SLEEVED COTTON T-SHIRT 28SETS OF 2PCS OF BABY BOY POLYCOTTON SET 32SETS OF 3PCS OF BABY BOY COTTON SET 32PKX12PRS OF BABY COTTON SOCKS, BRAND JIANE, CHINA |
According to Emasu, had the enforcement officials not been vigilant, URA would have lost UGX 278 million in taxes.
Geoffrey Balamaga, the Manager Customs Operations continues to encourage all transporters to desist from facilitating their drivers into such habits[smuggling] because once goods are intercepted there are far reaching consequences not only to the owners of the products but the transporters involved,” Balamaga explained.
