Post by Sapphire Capital on Jul 12, 2008 21:07:28 GMT 4
July 6, 2008
ABOUT 60 employees of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) tax investigation department have been sent on forced leave.
The employees include an assistant commissioner, three senior managers, four supervisors and several other revenue officers in the department.
A URA source yesterday said some of the employees had been asked to re-apply, while others were requested to hand over office at short notice.
URA’s spokesman Patrick Mukiibi confirmed the development but noted that it was a result of a restructuring exercise, which was approved by the board.
“The tax investigation division is being upgraded into a department. That is why all the staff were asked to re-apply,” he told The New Vision.
“The structure has changed. That means that people cannot remain in their previous jobs. The positions will now be allocated on a competitive basis.”
All the 1,800 employees of URA are allowed to compete for the jobs in the new department, he said, adding that a stronger tax investigation department would increase revenue collection.
But a source said the team was sent home after an internal audit discovered mismanagement and corruption, which led to loss of revenue.
“During the restructuring process, it emerged that the department was riddled with problems relating to tax investigation and recovery. The committee recommended that the best option was to constitute a new team to handle tax investigation, ensure compliance and improve performance,” the source said.
“They were sent home at short notice so that they don’t get an opportunity to tamper with the tax investigations files.”
The tax investigation department is responsible for planning and coordinating programmes for investigations on taxpayers. In the past, it was rated among the most corrupt agencies. It has since embarked on image-building initiatives.
In December last year, a commissioner and six assistant commissioners left the institution under unclear circumstances.
ABOUT 60 employees of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) tax investigation department have been sent on forced leave.
The employees include an assistant commissioner, three senior managers, four supervisors and several other revenue officers in the department.
A URA source yesterday said some of the employees had been asked to re-apply, while others were requested to hand over office at short notice.
URA’s spokesman Patrick Mukiibi confirmed the development but noted that it was a result of a restructuring exercise, which was approved by the board.
“The tax investigation division is being upgraded into a department. That is why all the staff were asked to re-apply,” he told The New Vision.
“The structure has changed. That means that people cannot remain in their previous jobs. The positions will now be allocated on a competitive basis.”
All the 1,800 employees of URA are allowed to compete for the jobs in the new department, he said, adding that a stronger tax investigation department would increase revenue collection.
But a source said the team was sent home after an internal audit discovered mismanagement and corruption, which led to loss of revenue.
“During the restructuring process, it emerged that the department was riddled with problems relating to tax investigation and recovery. The committee recommended that the best option was to constitute a new team to handle tax investigation, ensure compliance and improve performance,” the source said.
“They were sent home at short notice so that they don’t get an opportunity to tamper with the tax investigations files.”
The tax investigation department is responsible for planning and coordinating programmes for investigations on taxpayers. In the past, it was rated among the most corrupt agencies. It has since embarked on image-building initiatives.
In December last year, a commissioner and six assistant commissioners left the institution under unclear circumstances.