Uganda imposes tax on Qurans

Uganda has imposed taxes on religious groups for sale of holy Quran and prayer books.

Uganda has imposed taxes on religious groups for sale of holy Quran and prayer books.

The country’s Revenue Authority (URA) imposed the taxes prompting clerics across faith groups expressing consternation and disbelief.

The clerics are insisting that religious materials should be tax-exempt since they use them for “spiritual nourishment” of Ugandans.

However, the URA commissioner general, Ms Doris Akol, disagreed, saying the practice of not taxing the entities and materials was in the first place “an anomaly”.

“We understand that Value-Added Tax (VAT) has in the past not been paid on the said prayer books. This was an anomaly,” she wrote in an April 19 letter.

The prelate had asked the tax man to release a consignment of 9,120 prayer books imported from Nairobi, Kenya.