Hoima City commits to addressing Property Tax issues

The initiative, titled 'Services and Fair Taxes for Property Owners,' is geared toward facilitating constructive conversations between city authorities and property owners in Hoima City. 

It is being facilitated by RippleNami Uganda and supported by USAID under the Domestic Revenue Mobilisation for Development (DRM4D) Activity.

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Officials said outreach is hoped to dispel any misunderstandings about property tax, address questions and feedback, and handle concerns raised by both property owners and residents. 

This initiative aims to establish a stronger social-fiscal agreement regarding the use of services and promote transparency and understanding concerning property valuation, revenue collection processes, and the subsequent utilization of these funds within the community.

Hussein Sekinalya, Director of Client Relations at RippleNami Uganda, emphasized the rights of property owners and residents to engage and influence decisions pertaining to service usage in their community. The focus areas for increased spending include health, education, and agriculture.

"We are currently engaging property owners and residents in Hoima City through diverse outreach efforts," he said.

"These initiatives encompass consultations with local stakeholders in villages, surveys targeting prominent property owners, and multiple focus group discussions. City and Division Representatives will also play a role in these discussions, shedding light on the mechanisms of service delivery."

These preliminary dialogues serve as precursors to a significant public outreach event, set to take place in August, involving property owners and Hoima City Authorities. This mirrors a similar event conducted by RippleNami Uganda in Mbarara City the previous year, where insights were gathered from 746 stakeholders across 187 villages and key property owners. The findings highlighted challenges in accessing and utilizing local government services, as well as the difficulties faced by local leaders in managing property tax revenues.

Feedback collected from these discussions in Hoima will be compiled into a comprehensive report for City Administrators. This report will identify compliance challenges and provide recommendations to enhance social-fiscal agreements within Hoima City.

The consultative approach aims to reinforce taxpayer compliance and civic engagement in municipal budgeting and administration. Through improved dialogue, this initiative seeks to foster trust between citizens and the local government concerning property tax collection and the prioritization of public expenditures.