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ARUA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives has announced a tax waiver for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from Northern Uganda who will participate in the forthcoming East African Trade expo.
The expo, now in its 26th edition will be hosted in Juba, South Sudan between October 26 and November 6 2024 and will bring together traders from across the bloc.
Godfrey Tukamubona, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of marketing disclosed that the 15-day tax waiver is part of the government’s incentive to promote local content and Small and Medium Enterprises.
He added that under the incentive, the government will not apply the 18 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on the trader’s profits as well as charges at the border post. He was addressing traders during a preparatory meeting in Arua City on Tuesday,
Denis Okao, the coordinator of Uganda Small Scale Industries Association for the West Nile Region welcomed the development noting that the regional trade expo will provide market linkage opportunities for SMEs to grow their businesses.
The business categories that are required for the exhibition include small traders particularly those in Value Addition, Arts and Crafts, clothes made within East Africa, Herbal medicine, shoe making, cultural groups and any handmade items among others.
However, Jobel Ayiko, the Arua City Senior Commercial Officer advised traders to start processing the required travel documents and avoid last-minute rush and frustrations.
According to the exhibition guidelines issued by the Ministry of Trade, each participating SME is expected to pay 100,000 Shillings to register for the mega exhibition. At least 250 slots have been allocated for participating Small and Medium Enterprises from Northern Uganda.
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