By Kabuye Ronald
Advocates for public health oriented Civil Society under their umbrella body Uganda Alcohol Policy Alliance UAPA have urged President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to withhold assenting to the Exercise Duty Amendment Bill 2024 recently passed by parliament.
The advocates want president Museveni to sanction a comprehensive review and revision of the tax changes with particular regard to alcohol and tobacco products.
The Exercise Duty Amendment Bill 2024 imposed on opaque beer from 20% or Shs 230 per litre, whichever is higher to 10% or Shs 150 per litre whichever is higher and parliament endorsed it on 16th May 2024.
According to UAPA members, the undertaking by parliament makes alcohol cheaper thus increasing consumption by young people and other vulnerable populations. They further exhibited dismay since the bill doesn’t even talk about amending taxes on tobacco products which where last revised in 2020.
Juliet Namukasa, The Chairperson of UAPA said the increase in taxes and prices will in the long run prevent young people from initiating consumption of the addictive products like alcohol, tobacco and other abusive drugs.
She added that considering the empirical evidence on the negative social and health impact of alcohol and tobacco products, they recommend a 20% tax increase on their respective revenue.
Richard Baguma Tinkasimiire, the National Coordinator for Uganda Health Communication Alliance, a member of UAPA wondered whether the ministry of finance officials and legislators have Uganda at heart since they don’t mind about the country’s future and the underage and vulnerable.
“Ugandans are painfully paying taxes including having strikes trying to pay taxes and for you to lower a tax on alcohol? Really!, that is destroying the lives of many Ugandans and parliament passes it?! And you refuse to tax tobacco for five years, that they can take all the profits and kill our population. Who are those people sitting in the ministry of finance? Are they from this country real? “Questioned Baguma.
Mable Kukunda Musinguzi, the programs manager at Uganda National Health Consumers Organization UNHCO urged that government should prioritize Public Health when it comes to revenue Generation, by reasonably taxing more Alcohol and Tobacco Products to protect the Young and Vulnerable Generation.
Alcohol use among children and youth in Uganda is a growing public health concern, with several studies indicating a significant prevalence and associated risks. A recent study by the Ministry of health revealed that approximately 25% of primary school children (age 6-13) in Mbale district. Data from the WHO-commissioned 2014 national wide Non-Communicable Risky Factor Survey (STEPS) showed that 25.9% of men and 14.3% of women in Uganda were heavy alcohol users. Latest WHO report on alcohol also indicated a per capita consumption of 12.2 liters compared to 6.0 liters in the African region and 5.8 globally.
About 20% of the admissions at Butabika National referral hospital are due to alcohol or other drugs. A prevalence of 13.7% Alcohol use disorders (AUDS) in the Uganda population is higher than the African average (3.7%) and global average of 5.1. alcohol is also associated with seven types of cancer which further raises the health burden on the economy.
On the other hand, over 15% of boys and 13% of girls aged 13-15 years start smoking annually. It is estimated that tobacco kill 204 Ugandans weekly, which is more than HIV, Tuberculosis, malaria, accidents and crime put together.
Tobacco accounts for an estimated USD 126 million in direct medical care for adults and indirect costs due to lost productivity as a result of premature mortality and morbidity. For alcohol-related cancers only, the cost of treating ten alcohol-associated cancers in Uganda is USD 677,990,237 per annum.
