Gender Impacts Of Revenue Collection In Uganda

Gender responsive budgeting is a key instrument to track how governments are investing in advancing gender equality and equity. While most studies of gender responsive budgeting work so far have examined the expenditure side of the budget, the revenue side is equally important. In this Economic Paper, Nite Tanzarn looks at the revenue and tax system in Uganda, a country that has moved from analysis to action in gender responsive budgeting. This case study will show policy-makers in ministries of finance worldwide how government revenue collection practices affect men and women differently, and how to build an awareness of gender into financial policy.

This title was commissioned by the Commonwealth Secretariat as part of its commitment to integrate gender concerns into economic policy. It provides information to assist in the analysis of potential gender bias in tax systems and the design of gender-sensitive revenue measures.

Studies on gender-sensitive budgeting have concentrated on the expenditure side of government budgets. Through a case study from India, Nirmala Banerjee explores the other side of the budget taxes and other means of raising revenue. By highlighting the relative effects of changes in taxation policy on men and on women this study will help to raise awareness of gender among those responsible for planning the tax system, in India and elsewhere."

Around the world, there are concerns that many tax codes are biased against women, and that contemporary tax reforms tend to increase the incidence of taxation on the poorest women while failing to generate enough revenue to fund the programs needed to improve these women's lives. Because taxes are the key source of revenue governments themselves raise, understanding the nature and composition of taxation and current tax reform efforts is key to reducing poverty, providing sufficient revenue for public expenditure, and achieving social justice. This is the first book to systematically examine gender and taxation within and across countries at different levels of development. It presents original research on the gender dimensions of personal income taxes, and value-added, excise, and fuel taxes in Argentina, Ghana, India, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Uganda and the United Kingdom. This book will be of interest to postgraduates and researchers studying Public Finance, International Economics, Development Studies, Gender Studies, and International Relations, among other disciplines.

This book examines the legal, administrative, and regulatory barriers that are preventing women in Kenya from contributing fully to the Kenyan economy. Building on the 2004 FIAS Improving the Commercial Legal Framework and Removing Administrative and Regulatory Barriers to Investment report, this study looks at the bureaucratic barriers facing women in Kenya through a gender lens.

In 1997, Uganda undertook extensive reforms in tax legislation. This had been preceded by the structural reforms in tax administration that saw the creation of the Uganda Revenue Authority in 1991. The aim of the far reaching reforms was to improve the tax system and increase its revenue productivity. This book demonstrates that the reforms were not as successful as anticipated and revenues have not improved in a sustained way. The revenue from direct taxes only contributes about 20% to the total revenue, well below the Sub-Saharan average of 40%. This has focused attention on the appropriateness of the reforms. The focus of the reforms on achieving efficiency did not sufficiently take into account the fundamental importance of equity within the system. As a result, the Income Tax Act 1997 embodies distortions and inequalities in the treatment of taxable income and taxpayers that have led to inefficiency in the system as a whole. The tax reforms also took a narrow technical view of the tax system. The book employs political economy and optimal theory to explain the weaknesses in the tax system. It is argued that the reforms, although well designed, were not likely to be successful given the timing and context of implementation. The multidisciplinary and functionalist approach of the book is helpful in highlighting the constraints in which tax design and tax reform is undertaken in Uganda. It is argued that the reforms we “blunted” by the manner of their formulation and context of implementation. Taxation is a socio-political issue and yet the IMF and World Bank which supported the reforms did not take into account the limited political will. The lack of consensus in policy formulation has weakened the socio-contract and allowed the government to blame external factors for the poor performance. The weaknesses in governance and corruption have had an impact on the tax system by encouraging tax avoidance and evasion among political elites as well as on activities in the informal sector.

Trade can dramatically improve women’s lives, creating new jobs, enhancing consumer choices, and increasing women’s bargaining power in society. It can also lead to job losses and a concentration of work in low-skilled employment. Given the complexity and specificity of the relationship between trade and gender, it is essential to assess the potential impact of trade policy on both women and men and to develop appropriate, evidence-based policies to ensure that trade helps to enhance opportunities for all. Research on gender equality and trade has been constrained by limited data and a lack of understanding of the connections among the economic roles that women play as workers, consumers, and decision makers. Building on new analyses and new sex-disaggregated data, Women and Trade: The Role of Trade in Promoting Gender Equality aims to advance the understanding of the relationship between trade and gender equality and to identify a series of opportunities through which trade can improve the lives of women.