Uganda, April 12 -- Nearly every Ugandan entrepreneur has a story about their first interaction with the taxman - the Uganda Revenue Authority. It is very rarely a happy one. No "Congratulations on opening a business, we wish you well." Usually, something along the lines of this is how much you owe, pay up or you will be screwed.

This partly explains why Uganda has one of the most thriving informal sectors you will find anywhere. There are no incentives for formalisation. A friend shared an interesting story of his first encounter. He was, at the time, working in International Development but the yoke of the black tax was choking him to death - as many readers might be able to relate.

So, he used whatever he could put away to invest in ...