SOUTHERN PROVINCE

MUHANGA — Traders in Nyamabuye Sector, Muhanga district have clashed with tax payers over new district sanitation fees.

During a tax operation this week, traders refused to pay the new Frw3,000, saying they had not been notified.

The district had earlier announced the new amount, saying they were applying the new presidential decree (No.02/01 31/03/08), which requires districts to charge traders between Frw3000 and 5000 for sanitation.

The district said the new figure would replace the earlier arrangement where traders paid Frw700 and Frw1500, through Tubusezerere Association. This association is a cleaning association of former prostitutes.

District officials argued that some business operators were informed of the changes during a meeting held in April, and want traders to pay their arrears accumulated from April when the new law came into force.

But traders said they have been paying the old charges for the last four months and showed receipts to the effect.
"We don’t know anything about the new charge.

We have been paying the official charge of 1500 and Frw700 to Tubusezerere association…These changes should have been communicated earlier. It’s very abrupt,” a trader said.

However, other traders admitted that they had been informed of the new charges.

"A communication was made during a district meeting with business community in April and there was no excuse. Most people just don’t want to pay,” said a bar operator.

During the operation, the tax officials refunded the money which had been paid to the cleaning association.

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