Oxfam in Uganda is working with civil society organizations to amplify the voices and needs of Ugandan citizens in terms of the country’s fiscal system, which determines taxation and public spending. In its Finance for Development programme, Oxfam promotes fiscal justice to tackle inequality in the country by empowering citizens to exercise their rights by actively engaging with power holders. This case study shows the power of swift and coordinated action, backed by a wide constituency of citizens, to change regressive tax policies, and illustrates how citizens can improve public financial management at both local and national levels.

This case study is part of Oxfam’s Fiscal Justice Track Record. This series provides an in-depth update on Oxfam and partners’ fiscal justice and inequality work. Oxfam’s F.A.I.R.-EiU programme aims to ensure that citizens are empowered to redress inequality of power and influence, so fiscal systems are more progressive, and governments implement tax and spending policies that benefit the many not the few. The F.A.I.R.- EiU program unites the work of Oxfam and partners in over 40 countries.