The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has recovered UGX2.1 billion from 1,445 seizures of smuggled goods between May 2020 and April 2021.
A URA report for the period ended April indicates that clothes, cosmetics, cooking oil, rice and wheat flour are the most smuggled goods. Others are cosmetics, cooking oil, sandals, shoes and salt.
The tax authority notes that the frequently smuggled goods have high demand, portability and marketability across the East African region.
Ian Rumanyika, the URA acting Corporate Affairs commissioner says: “Smuggled goods are fast moving items with ready market which makes it easy for smugglers to transact.”
The report shows that in April, garments recorded 34 seizures, rice 31 seizures, and wheat flour 28 while textile material, cosmetics and creams and cooking oil recorded 17, 13 and 7 seizures respectively. Sandals, shoes and salt registered 6 and 3 seizures, respectively.
Rumanyika said URA had registered a reduction in smuggling in part due to extra vigilance along the borders and use of digital stamps. Digital tracking solutions, being implemented by URA in partnership with Uganda National Bureau of Standards, seek to fight under declaration of production capacity and substandard goods.
