KAMPAGNE 1998
 

KAMPAGNE 1998: Steuer- und Zollbefreiung für Fahrräder in Uganda

Bitte kopiert diesen Brief, trennt ihn ab und schickt oder faxt ihn an den ugandischen Präsidenten.

Die Fax-Nummer: 00256-41-258870. Wichtig: Bitte auch eine Bestätigung an uns schicken!

Wir wollen mit dieser Aktion erreichen, daß Fahrräder in Uganda zu akzeptableren Preisen zu kaufen sind. Momentan werden Fahrräder wie Luxusgüter besteuert, höher als Automobile!

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Sender:

 
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To His Excellency

The President of Uganda

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

- Presidents Office -

P.O. Box 7168

Kampala - Uganda

 

. .1998

Dear Mr. President,

 

as a supporter of the non-governmental organisation "Jugendhilfe Ostaftika" based in Germany, cooperating with "Bicycle Sponsorship Project & Workshop" close to Jinja for seven years now, I want to give you some general information about the bicycle as a key to improvement of the condition of the people living in rural areas.

Donors have managed to finance more than 3.000 bicycles up to now for people mainly living in rural areas and especially for women, who have to carry the main burden of development.

With these bicycles used as an appropriate mode of transport avoiding dependency on fuel, the productivity of the people can be increased around 12 times! They can carry four times more on the bike and can go three times faster.

It was possible to set up a workshop for assemling and distributing bikes at an acceptable price to the rural poor and other needy people. It was possible to set up a store, an office plus FABIO (First African Bicycle Information Office) with a small library yet. The charitable project is based in a childen´s home called St. Moses in Bukaya/Njeru.

In the past years bikes were bought from the importers or from a factory in Kampala at the full price.

In my point of view, the price for bikes in Uganda is much too high in comparison to other commodities.

 

So I am protesting against the high taxation on bicycle in Uganda and I am supporting tax-exemption for bicycles in Uganda.

Please forward the necessary initiative to promote an easier access to bicycles by tax-exemption for all bikes sold to the public in Uganda.

 

 We have to bear in mind, that neighbouring countries like Rwanda have much lower taxes on bikes as Uganda has. We all have to imagine, that there are lower taxes on imported cars and other motorised vehicles. These vehicles are in most cases out of reach for the rural poor as they are not able to pay the fares.

I want to close with this letter with a question asking for the general direction Uganda is going to on the transport-sector: Wouldn´t it be of more advantage for the national economy and the environment to promote bikes instead of cars?

I would be grateful, if you could send some data about the fuel-imports of Uganda in the recent years, about the bicycle taxation and about the role of the bicycle for the national economy.

I would be even more grateful, if you could show your interest in supporting of FABIO and the bicycle-sponsorship-project. The national economy will reward it!

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

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