By Jacinta Obore Mirembe
URA and partner Ministries, departments, and agencies, has agreed to improve the benefits of Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) to facilitate compliant tax payers and control risks in the international supply chain.
This was agreed upon during a workshop that was organized to promote collaboration between the URA customs department and other MDAs so that they could support AEOs more effectively, to talk about and develop criteria for the national and regional AEO programs, and to modify the national and regional AEO application forms to include all the requirements that others needed to address.
Participating MDAs included the National Drug Authority, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the Uganda Manufacturers Association, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, and the Kenya Ports Authority.
In his remarks, Charles Rumanyika, the Ag Assistant Commissioner for Customs Audit at URA, highlighted the importance of collaboration across government agencies in light of the limited funds allocated to reducing the risks in the global supply chain.
“Trade volumes increase as the size of the global supply chain widens, which means that crimes involving customs, immigration, security, and other issues, such as human trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, terrorism, tax evasion, and illegal trade in wildlife, among others, will also rise. Rumanyika explained that because there is a lack of funds for minimizing these hazards, collaboration between government agencies is necessary.
Collaboration between these agencies will also facilitate improved information sharing amongst themselves, standardize areas of control, foster AEO trust, enhance emergency and situational preparedness, pool resources and expertise, and lower operational costs for the business community.
Meanwhile, Patrick Maingi, the Manager of Trade Policy and Facilitation at Trademark Africa, pledged total support from the entity in supporting inter-agency joint cooperation and enhancing the AEO program.
The Trademark Africa-funded AEO program aims to increase the number of registered AEOs in the East African region, improve service delivery, and foster better stakeholder relations between tax authorities and taxpayers, as well as among all MDAs.
