The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has urged the public to support the tax body in the fight against smuggling to curb illegal goods, create fair competition and increase revenue collection.
The Assistant Commissioner Enforcement at URA Agnes Nabwire said there is no way local producers will have their goods compete on the market if the same market if flooded with cheap, substandard and untaxed goods.
According to Nabwire, the tax body is mandated to ensure a favourable business environment in line with the law.
"The perpetrators of this illicit trade have devised means of dodging taxes," she said.
But much as there is room to prosecute the offenders and destroy smuggled goods, Nabwire said the lasting impact especially on the environment is disastrous and irreversible.
She said as URA steps the fight against illicit trade, dealers are also devising means to beat the system.
Yet like any other effort to create order in the economy, enforcement has faced its own challenges as well.
"The big wigs in society are part of the trade with many involved in several scandals," Nabwire said.
She asked the public to support the tax body in the effort to curb smuggling.
As a way of bringing on board the community in the fight against smuggling, she said URA will begin community campaigns, which will be done in different local languages.
