By Edwin Junior
Bebe Cool has always been known to be outspoken on social media, often times than not sparking off controversies. Famed for his sentimental rhetorics, the “Nkola Byafayo” singer has hit again. This time, however, Bebe tackles issues concerning the common man. He adds his voice to the recently read budget that has already received its fair share of criticism. He alleges that imposing taxes on the ordinary farmers was a grave mistake that could have a catastrophic effect if not reconsidered.
“Greatest Mistake made in this budget is tax burden on the farmer,” he states.
He goes on to explain: “An ordinary farmer in the village will be no more and therefore food security will get to its highest level. A farmer is going to pay tax on a hoe, seed, sprayer, fertiliser, pesticide, salt, sugar and paraffin. This will automatically faze out the small scale farmer who is the major supplier for food. Commercial farmers in Uganda are less than 10% and most of them plant cash crops. So who is going to feed this country if a small scale farmer(80%) is fazed out. The president’s ‘gospel’ of promoting Agriculture will have no impact since this tax policy is meant to punish the farmer who is already earning nothing. In the long run the country will be hit by famine and may start looking for supplies from neighbouring countries.”
He concludes with a bit of advice to the president; “My dear President, instead of taxing agri-inputs to affect food security, you sh’d increase taxes on luxuries.”