President Yoweri Museveni has directed the office of the Attorney General to use National Identification Numbers (NIN) instead of Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) for processing compensation of war debt claimants in Northern Uganda, according to the Independent, an online news agency.
The finance ministry had tasked all claimants in Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-region to obtain Tax Identification Numbers as a mandatory requirement for processing their payment.
The number is a ten-digit code issued by the Uganda Revenue Authority to prospective taxpayers to enable them to meet their tax obligations.
The government released 150 billion Shillings in September 2021 to compensate war debt claimants in Acholi, Lango and Teso, with each region entitled to 50 billion Shillings.
The money will go to persons who lost their livestock and properties during insurgencies in the region.
While meeting the President at Alidi Primary School in Oyam district on Saturday, Judith Alyek, the chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary group said that Tax Identification Numbers, being one of the mandatory requirements is a major challenge affecting the compensation of war claimants.
The president also confirmed that the government will compensate the 42,000 claimants who were verified as well as the 125,000 whose names were rejected during the verification processes.