The Alcoholic Drinks bill control 2023 that is currently under discussion before the house committee has continued to divide opinion, with the Government ministers .
This is because the private sector Foundation Uganda and the culture creatives industry have warned that the enactment of the control bill 2023 will cripple the night life and significantly reduce the tax base of which affects the economy.
The bill that is sponsored by the Toro Woman MP Sarah Opendi seeks to regulate the manufactures and the sale consumption of alcohol drinks
The bill is side to be an attack on the national treasury with more than one trillion shillings in tax from alcohol. The sector contributes at least 35% of the tax base.
This Bill says that alcohol should be sold between 5Pm and 10pm on weekdays and before midnight on weekends.
The bill clarifies that whoever person that doesn’t adhere to the bill commits an offence and is charged a fine of Shs 2m or imprisonment for Ten years or both.
Some of the regulatory regime postulated in the bill is negatively affecting the tourism sector. Like In section 14(3), which regulates the time for the sale of alcoholic drinks.
This is because most of the tourists reach in the country at a late time and they have to get where they can rest and spend their free time and this means that if this bill regulates the tourism industry and yet it is it’s main source of income, it will affect the country hugely in the country.
If this Bill is passed it means that most of Ugandans will die poor and jobless because most of the bar attendants will have to be sent home due to the insufficient funds that the bars will be earning.
On the other hand, this will affect the music industry in Uganda since most of the musicians hold their shows in bars and most of their fans travel long distances and reach to the venue very late like at a round midnight of which will make the musicians lose much due to the Bill.
Though it is done for security purposes and for the health of the citizens, the bill is likely to increase poverty levels and increased domestic violence cases since most of the people have been considering bar places as their problem solving places.
