Minister for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Ezra Suruma of Uganda

Ezra Suruma is the Finance Minister of Uganda.

The country's Finance Minister Ezra Suruma said while presenting the budget that although major progress has been achieved in the reduction of poverty on the long-term basis, from 56 percent in 1992/93 to 35 percent 1999/2000, the proportion of the people living below the poverty line has recently increased to 38 percent.

Suruma said that on top of the increase in funding, the government will intensify provision of appropriate technologies and input kits including fertilizers, improved seed, pesticides and herbicides and cooperative savings.

Malinga on Friday said the rate quoted by finance minister Ezra Suruma had created some apprehension in the public that the number of people contracting HIV/AIDS was rising.

Suruma said the new tax measures would enable the Government to finance 60% of the budget in 2005/06 up from 54% of the budget this year.

There are two certainties in life - death and taxes! - taxation is the only practical means of raising revenue to finance government spending on the goods and services most of US demand," Suruma said in his first budget speech.

Suruma said from July 1, 2005, excise duty on airtime would rise to 12% from 10%, while VAT would increase to 18% from 17%, a move that is expected to generate sh36b and sh5.

Suruma said excise duty on petrol would increase to sh720 from sh660 per litre, diesel to sh450 from sh400 while the duty on kerosene remains at sh200.

Graduated tax was scrapped effective July 1 and a provision of sh30b compensation is available, Suruma said in his speech delivered in Parliament for the first time in over ten years.

Suruma said this represented 60% of the budgeted sh3,799b for the next financial year.

Suruma said he would increase the agriculture ministry’s budget to sh148.

Suruma said to encourage lending to the agriculture sector, interest earned from loans to persons engaged in agriculture will be exempt from taxes.

Africa | Uganda | World Economy - Development | PoliticsUganda develops cold feet over US financial crisisafrol News, 1 October - In a bid to overcome current financial crunch in United States of America, which is likely to affect Africa's economic growth, Ugandan finance minister Ezra Suruma has suggested that African nations shift attention to Asian markets.

Although Dr Suruma was not sure how crisis would affect Uganda in particular, he was convinced that country's export products would somehow be affected as global economies slow down.

We hope our brothers, Chinese will not be affected so that they become alternative export destinations," Dr Suruma said of emerging super power.

Dr Suruma said because of ensuing economic crisis, role of governments in financial markets would be reviewed.

Ezra Suruma said that, the increment was to dishearten the importation of dangerous goods which can affect the environment.

Suruma says once the establishment of the PRA has been accomplished and the savings for pensioners fully protected, the sector will be gradually opened up.

Suruma said about $186 million was provided for arrears in 2008/09 of which $75.

Finance Ministers' Meeting (CFFM) on climate change.

if Dr Suruma has spoken, then his word can not be doubted.

Simply stated, the model that Dr Suruma has applied in this year’s budget is the following: Throw as much money as possible at infrastructure, health and education and you will maintain high growth.

In his address of the house last week, Dr Suruma said the government had decided to deal with the problem by making sure that most of the funds in the roads budget are sourced locally.

u003cbr\>Dr Suruma said \n the governments only role in the process was to disburse funds to \n these entities and not accounting for them, insisting it is UDB to \n account.

and credit cooperatives and marketing cooperatives.

During question time after the signing of a credit agreement with the World Bank on September 15, Finance Minister Dr Ezra Suruma said that the Pension Regulatory Framework has been approved by cabinet paving way for the country to have a pension regulator.

Dr Suruma said that the Pension Sector Parliamentary Council consisting of all the stakeholders in the pension sector has completed drafting the pension reform bill.

However, Dr Suruma said that pension reform liberalisation process is quite complicated and that is the reason why it has taken has government a long time to liberlise the sector.

Suruma said the government decided to create at least 1,000 savings and credit cooperatives in rural areas, and 389 are already operating.

Suruma said that if the 90% of Ugandans could save up to 50% of their earnings, the country will quickly be relived from donor funds as the case was in the transformation of the far East countries like Singapore, Malaysia among others.

Suruma said that government has partnered with Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) to provide training and managerial skill to employees of community village banks to promote transparency, hospitality and accountability.

So finance chief Ezra Suruma has teamed up with a US company to bring modern electronic banking to millions of Ugandans, especially in rural areas where 85 percent of the country's estimated 26 million people live.

Suruma said the government initially wanted to try to increase household incomes in rural areas, but to do that it had to find a way to provide fertilizer, seed and farming equipment to subsistence farmers, because most of the population lives on agriculture.

Suruma said the government decided to create at least 1,000 savings and credit cooperatives in rural areas.

But Suruma was not satisfied because people still had to travel to towns, and the associations were very basic, credit was limited, and they did not have the technology and infrastructure to link into the national banking system, which limited prospects for growth.

Dr Suruma is finance minister, Prof.

Two months to the end of the financial year, Finance Minister Dr Ezra Suruma has come under pressure after a House committee rejected his explanation as to why some key sectors of the economy suffered budget cuts.

While reading the Budget, the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Ezra Suruma said that energy ranked high among government priorities followed by rural development and support to the urban poor.

Suruma said that in the next financial year, the government is allocating 9 billion Uganda shillings in rural development including the training of Sub County Chiefs so that they become change agents for development in the areas they lead.

Suruma said the budget is meant to ensure that all households have minimum income to meet minimum needs.

Suruma said that the government is also going to work on the various roundabouts in Kampala City to ease on traffic jams and also to prepare for the November 2007 Common Wealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In terms of water transport, Suruma said that the government will improve water transport on Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake George and Lake Bunyonyi.

Suruma said that the government is to spend 5 billion shillings on the development of the Namanve industrial park.

The government has also negotiated a 30 million dollar loan for research and education with the World Bank," Suruma said in the budget speech.

Ezra Suruma has told Ugandans that the government will fund more of the country's budget next year.

This Suruma said underlines the government's intention to fund more of its budget.

Suruma said that the government had decided to enhance tax incentives for investors engaged in exportation of consumer and capital goods.

Suruma said that he is sure his budget, read under the theme "re-orienting government expenditure towards prosperity for all," will expand opportunities for local people in all sub-counties so that they can improve their incomes.

Suruma said that the government will lose about Shs 80bn which it was getting in these road fees.

Suruma said that the tax and revenue measures have been agreed on by the East African Community member states which have to levy a common external tariff.

Dr Suruma said that the government is focusing on critical actions, which have a direct bearing on increasing productivity, household incomes, and overall economic development, as well as increasing the avenues for local revenue generation.

It means money that was under the mattress and buried and hidden in the roofs comes out and people have access to it," Suruma said in an interview Thursday.

Suruma said the government initially wanted to try to increase household incomes in rural areas.

But Suruma was not satisfied because people still had to travel to towns, and the associations were very basic.

Ezra Suruma is Uganda's Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

FINANCE minister Ezra Suruma has suspended the NSSF chief David Jamwa and deputy Mondo Kagonyera immediately.