[2008] UGHC 120

[2008] UGHC 120

The court found that the requirements of section 106 of the Income Tax Act were not met by the first respondent. Specifically, there was no tax due and payable as the applicant's employees did not receive wages due to lack of government allocations, and the issue was subject to dispute as evidenced by meetings...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2008] UGHC 120
Parties
Applicant: Centre for Arbitration & Dispute Resolution; Respondent: Uganda Revenue Authority; Respondent: Standard Chartered Bank (U) Ltd
Court
High Court of Uganda
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Number
Misc. Application No. 734 of 2006
Procedural Posture
Miscellaneous Application / Ruling
Outcome
application_allowed
Legal Topics
Agency Notice Procedure, Taxpayer Objection Process, Judicial Review of Tax Actions, Ultra Vires Actions, Withholding Agent Liability, Bank as Tax Agent
Source Language
en
Tax Law Civil Procedure Alternative Dispute Resolution Agency Notice Procedure Taxpayer Objection Process Judicial Review of Tax Actions Ultra Vires Actions Withholding Agent Liability +1 more

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Parties

Centre for Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

Applicant

Uganda Revenue Authority

Respondent

Standard Chartered Bank (U) Ltd

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Miscellaneous Application / Ruling

  1. 1 Whether the Third Party Agency Notice issued by Uganda Revenue Authority to Standard Chartered Bank against the applicant's accounts was valid under section 106 of the Income Tax Act.
  2. 2 Whether the applicant was liable as a withholding agent for income tax on its employees in the absence of government wage allocations.
  3. 3 Whether the requirements of section 106 of the Income Tax Act were complied with by the first respondent.

Ratio Decidendi

The court found that the requirements of section 106 of the Income Tax Act were not met by the first respondent. Specifically, there was no tax due and payable as the applicant's employees did not receive wages due to lack of government allocations, and the issue was subject to dispute as evidenced by meetings between the applicant and the respondent. The notice failed to specify a payment date, instead requiring immediate payment, which contravened the statutory requirement for a specific date. The court held that the Third Party Agency Notice was issued ultra vires and was therefore null and void. The applicant's informal objections were sufficient to constitute a dispute under the Act,...

Court Disposition

application_allowed

Orders

  • It is declared that the Third Party Agency Notice No. B0-1007-6725-G dated 23 May 2006 issued by Uganda Revenue Authority against all bank accounts held by the applicant with Standard Chartered Bank is illegal and null and void.
  • The said Third Party Agency Notice is vacated and Standard Chartered Bank is ordered to remove the same from applicant's accounts and allow the applicant to operate those accounts without hindrance.