STA2.7: Should the members of parliament be exempted from being taxed?

Background
On April 14th 2016, during the consideration and passing of the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2016, the Ugandan MPs explicitly took their allowances out of the tax bracket. This move has spurred fierce public debate on the fairness of the country’s tax system, According to this Bill, MPs’ emoluments and allowances will be exempt from taxation save for the basic salary. The MPs have threatened to block the National Budget approval if this Bill is not passed.

According to figures from Parliament, on average an MP earns between Shs 20 and 25 million. A Ugandan MP is one of the most paid vis-a-vis the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).The Parliamentary Commission tabled proposals for allowance increment for MPs. These allowances include; 2M lunch and tea and 3M housing per month for each MP in the 10th parliament. According to the ACCU(Anti-corruption coalition Uganda), this means that over 59.1B will be spent on MPs in the first month of the 10th Parliament.

Question  
Should the members of parliament be exempted from being taxed? 

a) No
b) Yes
c) I don't know

Instructions
Go to messages on your phone & type PACIS followed by your ANSWER. Send your message to 8585. This sms is totally FREE of charge.