We have paid shs7.4 trillion in taxes to the government in the last 75 years, according to Uganda Breweries Limited.
Officials stated that the corporation needed to find inventive ways to ensure that things were delivered to customers' doorsteps, and that this was how they were able to achieve growth.
“By contributing an estimated shs7.4 trillion in taxes to the government since 1946, we have made a substantial contribution to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation. We paid Shs420 billion in taxes to the Uganda Revenue Authority last year alone,” Jimmy Mugerwa, a Non-Executive Director on the UBL board, stated.
Mugerwa was speaking during a media roundtable discussion held on Tuesday at the Serena hotel in Kampala to commemorate UBL’s 75th anniversary.
Officials from the beer company spoke at the event about their recent financial results, which showed a 33 percent increase in revenue despite Covid’s disruptions in the beer market, which saw the closure of pubs and other entertainment centers that consume a number of their products.
Officials stated that the corporation needed to find inventive ways to ensure that things were delivered to customers’ doorsteps, and that this was how they were able to achieve growth.
Providing assistance to farmers
The company started the Local Raw Materials Program a few years ago, in which they help farmers grow raw materials used in the production of beer, such as sorghum and cassava.
According to officials, the program has benefited 32,000 farmers.
“We supply seeds, technical guidance, fertilizers, and financial services by connecting farmers with financial institutions. Mark Ocitti, the previous UBL Managing Director, added, “We also buy the produce from farmers at competitive costs.”
According to Alvin Mbugua, the outgoing Managing Director, agreements with government organizations such as Operation Wealth Creation and NAADs for raw material expansion will also benefit farmers.
CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Officials also stated that the corporation has contributed back to the communities in which it operates throughout the years.
“We return 1% of our annual revenue to the needs of people through scholarships and environmental restoration. “Every year, we give out shs1 billion in scholarships to poor kids who want to pursue postsecondary education,” Ocitti added.
“Our e-green project to rehabilitate degraded forests has resulted in the planting of 4.7 million trees since 2005. We were the first to phase out sachets for waragi due to their bad environmental impact, and we are grateful that the government got into our notion and enforced it with other manufacturers.”
Uganda Breweries has stated that it will continue to support the communities in which it operates in order to better their livelihoods, resulting in a win-win situation for all parties.
