Embattled Road Safety officer in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ronald Amanyire, has publicly challenged the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to demonstrate how taxpayer money has translated into visible national development over the past five years, calling for clear evidence of at least one fully tax-funded project.
In his remarks, Amanyire urged the tax body to identify a single government project valued at around UGX 100 billion that has been financed entirely through domestic tax revenue, without any donor or external funding support.
He argued that such clarity is necessary to strengthen public trust in the tax system.
He specifically called for transparency in expenditure under Uganda’s cash budget framework, stating that citizens are often told that government spending is dependent on actual revenue collection.
In his view, this should be reflected in tangible infrastructure and services that taxpayers can directly identify.
“We are constantly reminded that Uganda runs a cash budget. That means what is collected should be visible in tangible outputs, not hidden in abstractions,” he noted, while questioning why citizens continue to experience poor road conditions and strained public health facilities despite consistent tax collection.
Amanyire pointed to everyday service delivery gaps, citing poor road networks, overcrowded hospitals, and persistent challenges in the health sector.
He argued that such conditions raise questions about the conversion of tax revenue into measurable development outcomes.
He further proposed that limiting the assessment to a clearly defined project threshold would make accountability easier.
According to him, identifying a single UGX 100 billion project fully financed by taxes would provide a practical benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of domestic revenue mobilisation.
In his statement, he also reflected on taxpayer morale, suggesting that visible results from taxation could improve public confidence and compliance.
He argued that citizens are more likely to embrace taxation when they can directly link it to completed projects such as roads, schools, or hospital infrastructure.
“Motivation is not abstract. It comes from seeing results,” he stated, adding that visible impact could replace public cynicism with pride in national contribution.
He, however, clarified that his remarks were not intended as an accusation against tax authorities. Instead, he posed a broader question on whether more transparency in project delivery could improve institutional motivation and public trust.