Uganda, April 13 -- A dispute between traders and a tax system designed to recover value added tax (VAT) from their trading activities is impeding Uganda's efforts to meet its ambitious revenue targets.

Traders, particularly those in Kikuubo, have been on strike for the better part of this week, closing their doors primarily to wholesale customers. They claim this is a protest against the taxman's attempt to impose the electronic fiscal receipting and invoicing solution (EFRIS), which recovers the value-added tax calling it "daunting" in a period of slow business activity.

The traders' leaders had been led to believe that they were scheduled to meet President Museveni on Friday. After State House officials confirmed that there was no me...