Under the PVoC policy, the goods are supposed to be tested for standards like roadworthiness for vehicles, before they are shipped into the country. If the import is registered, the process costs the importers 0.45 per cent of the Free-on-Board value or the value of the goods to be shipped, before adding the freight and insurance costs, while if the import is not registered, it costs 0.5 per cent.
The Uganda National Bureau of Standards-UNBS proposes that Uganda Revenue Authority-URA should tax only imports that have been certified by the standards body.
According to Martin Imalingat the Quality Assurance Manager at UNBS the S mark will be a minimum requirement for all products, to help certify the quality of goods and add value to Ugandan products.
Almost all shops in downtown Kampala remain closed as traders start their three-day strike. The traders want Government and Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to remove the Pre- export Verification Conformity (PVoC). The PVoC programme is meant to guard against counterfeit goods on the local market.
