Youths advise government on state of economy

Ugandans, like people in other countries are going through stressful economic times, triggered by the unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities. A number of young people have been affected by this turn of events and Youth Blitz caught up with some of them to pick their mind on what they think government should do. Here are their responses.

Gilbert Musoke, 19, senior six student

Right now things are not good. I think government can reduce taxes on some of scholastic materials such that many students can access them. As a student of Fine Art, many materials I use have increased. Ink has gone up and painting brushes are very costly. I think government can intervene by reducing taxes.

Ivan Mugisha, 27, businessman

As a retailer, I can tell that business is very slow because prices of all goods have increased. People want to buy goods using the old prices which is not possible. Things are tough but I think government can do something. They can suspend some taxes as we wait for the situation to improve. I think this will bring down the cost of many things like sugar and soap.

Saudah Namaganda, 33, housewife

My husband leaves Shs 10,000 daily to cater for expenses but this is not enough. A year ago, this money was enough but today, you will get two tomatoes for Shs 1,000 and when you add other things, you are left with nothing. I have two children and feeding them has not been easy. For me I think government can still intervene and help the people by removing some taxes. I also think government should cut down on public expenditure such that the saved money is used in other areas.

Apolot Stella, 22, university student

Things are hot economically. The money I use to move to university and back home has more than doubled and my caretaker is struggling. Everything is going up including tuition. I think government needs to find ways of helping us as young people. Honestly I don’t know what they can do because I have heard that some of causes are external like the war between Russia and Ukraine. Government in my view can come out and subsidize some items like fuel so that things get better.

Anita Bigirwa, 31, businesswoman

We are all feeling the economic pinch. Customers are few and those who want to buy have no money. My hope is that things will improve soon. As a businesswoman, who deals in hardware, my biggest cost is fuel because I have to transport most of these items to the building sites of some clients. Secondly many people who were putting up buildings have paused. This means that my sales are down.  I pray that government adjusts some of the taxes downwards to relieve us of some pressure. For me I think items like iron bars and cement need to have their taxes reduced.