Ugandan tax officials set for Dar port deployment

Dar es Salaam. Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) will deploy its customs officials at the port of Dar es Salaam by the end of this month, The Citizen has learnt.

This comes at a time when Tanzania is strategising to embark on a fully-fledged Single Customs Territory (SCT) during the next financial year.

The URA officials will undertake the mandate of facilitating clearance of cargo destined to Uganda at the Dar es Salaam Port.

The move will also enable URA to take into account prohibitions and restrictions provided for under their respective laws while at the same time ensuring that revenue due to Uganda government is collected. Currently, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) is clearing petroleum products destined for Uganda under the SCT approach.

“This means that taxes and duties thereon are paid in Uganda while the products are here at the port, and not when the products reach Mutukula,” TRA Commissioner General Rished Bade said during the Central Corridor Investors Forum in Dar es Salaam last week. Significant shipments of the selected products have been cleared under this new dispensation in which more than 5.5 million litres of petroleum products conveyed by 213 tankers and 2,070 metric tonnes of cotton seed cake conveyed by 10 trucks has been cleared to Uganda.

TRA commenced implementation of the pilot phase of the SCT from June 2014.

So far Rwanda’s revenues body is represented at the port of Dar es Salaam.

A total of 108.3 million litres of petroleum products conveyed by 3,698 tankers and 14,100 metric tonnes conveyed by 469 trucks have been cleared to Rwanda.

In the case of Burundi 10,928 metric tonnes conveyed by 366 trucks and 5,262 metric tonnes of beer conveyed by 185 trucks have been cleared

“I would like to express TRA’s appreciation for the support and collaboration that we enjoy from the governments of Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and now DRC through customs officers of their respective revenue authorities who have been deployed here,” said Mr Bade.

BACKGROUND: WHAT THE SINGLE CUSTOMS TERRITORY ENTAILS

A Single Customs Territory is described as a stage towards full attainment of the Customs Union which is achievable by the removal of restrictive regulations and /or minimization of internal border controls on goods moving between the Partner States with ultimate realization of free circulation of goods. The EAC SCT covers Partner States namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda