Determinants of Tax Revenue in Uganda

Abstract

The study was about the analysis of the determinants of Tax Revenue in Uganda. Emphasis was put on how Trade ratio of GDP, Annual Inflation rate, Share of agriculture to GDP, Per Capita Income and Foreign Direct Investment determine the tax revenue in Uganda from period (1998-2018). The main objective of the study was to identify the determinants of Tax Revenue in Uganda. Data analysis method employed E-Views statistical package, where descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, tests for stationarity and various diagnostic tests were done to explain the relationships between Openness to trade ratio to GDP, Annual Inflation rate, Share of agriculture to GDP, GDP Per capita income and Foreign Direct Investment have on Tax revenue in Uganda. The findings indicated that agriculture and per capita income had significant influences on tax revenue both in long and short run period, FDI and trade had statistically significant effects on tax revenue in the long run while inflation had a statistically significant effect on tax revenue in the short run. The study recommends the following policies; formalize the agricultural sector through strengthening farmers’ access to formal credit, reduce tax holidays by applying tax rates to the incoming investors in Uganda, reduce exemptions to foreign firms by giving them equal opportunities to operate in Uganda like any other indigenous firm where no special exemptions are applied, like free land for operations and exemptions from tax rates, avail opportunities to people to earn in order to pay taxes this can be done by increasing the government expenditure on public works which will bring about an increase in employment opportunities and also improve the business environment to enable firms make more sales and pay more taxes through strengthening institutional environment, ICT infrastructure and improving on better working conditions for firms.