By Mulengera Reporters
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has engaged manufacturers and other key stakeholders on changes in tax administration, digital compliance systems and import-related fees as it seeks to improve taxpayer services and strengthen domestic revenue mobilization.
The engagement, held as the first activity under URA’s partnership with the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) for the 2026/27 financial year, brought together representatives from leading manufacturing companies including KANSAI PLASCON, Mukwano Industries, Uganda Breweries Limited, Ntake Bakery, Green Resources Limited, MOVIT, Winifred Fashion Designers and Afros & Mos, among others.
Closing the engagement, Acting Commissioner, Executive Office Operations, Robert Kalumba, said the partnership between URA and UMA had continued to grow, noting that nine engagements were held across five regions during the previous financial year.
“This is the very first this Financial Year (2026/27), and we have taken note of a change in policy, behavior and the need to involve the media,” Kalumba said.
He thanked manufacturers and other stakeholders for responding to the invitation and said the high attendance demonstrated the strong interest among businesses in tax policy and administration discussions.
Kalumba also commended the UMA team for mobilising manufacturers and pledged continued support from URA.
“Our doors are widely opened to support you. I appreciate the URA team led by Manager Julian Sabiiti and I pledge our support as URA. We shall walk with UMA until the end.”
Import declaration fees
During the engagement, Annet Ogwapus, Supervisor Remissions & Exemptions, highlighted changes concerning import declaration fees on essential products.
She explained that the fees on imports of vaccines, medicines, medical supplies, pesticides, rodenticides, acaricides and insecticides would significantly reduce landed import costs and ease cash-flow pressures for businesses operating in the medical and agricultural sectors.
Ogwapus also explained the role of the environmental levy, saying it was closely aligned with the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) policy and efforts to promote local manufacturing.
She said the levy also supports regional East African Community objectives aimed at phasing out second-hand clothes, while encouraging greater consumption of locally produced goods.
URA rolls out eTax2 reforms
Manufacturers were also introduced to the eTax2 project, a major digital transformation initiative aimed at modernising Uganda’s tax administration.
Presenting the project, Charlotte Molly Nampijja, Business Process Re-engineering Lead, said implementation began in February 2026 with a vision of delivering a “world-class, client-centric digital tax administration platform.”
The new system is expected to simplify the taxpayer journey by reducing the number of steps required to complete transactions, adopting National Identification Numbers (NIN) and Business Registration Numbers (BRN), and making the platform easier to navigate.
It will also integrate with customers’ existing systems, including accounting, payroll and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
Nampijja said the platform would be exclusively web-based, eliminating manual application forms and Microsoft Excel-based submissions.
The project is anchored on six values: simplicity, reliability, intelligence, inclusiveness, resilience and trust.
URA expects the reforms to deliver a seamless client experience, automate and integrate tax processes, strengthen data and security, provide scalable technology and ultimately support growth in domestic revenue.
TIN-to-NIN transition
The authority also briefed manufacturers on the transition from Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to National Identification Numbers (NINs).
Simon Busulwa, from URA’s Tax Registration Maintenance team, said the transition is intended to improve government visibility of taxpayers and income earners while reducing tax evasion.
According to Busulwa, the current tax register faces challenges including fragmented taxpayer records, duplicate records, service inefficiencies and weak identification systems.
The transition is expected to create a cleaner tax register through unified identification, improve record accuracy, make tax compliance and services easier, and strengthen revenue mobilisation.
EFRIS changes explained to manufacturers
URA also used the engagement to explain recent developments in the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS).
Yosia Kyesimba, Supervisor in Compliance Management, explained what is changing under EFRIS, who is affected and how URA is supporting taxpayers as businesses adjust to the requirements.
EFRIS, which was introduced in 2021 for VAT-registered taxpayers, is an online solution used to record and track business transactions.
Among its benefits are simplified tax returns, stock management, improved connectivity between sellers, buyers and URA, issuance of electronic invoices and receipts, and better record management.
The engagement comes as URA continues to expand the use of digital systems to improve tax compliance and make interaction between taxpayers and the authority more efficient.
Digital Tax Stamps
Manufacturers were further briefed on the role of Digital Tax Stamps (DTS) in monitoring excisable products.
Felix Niwagaba, a URA official involved in Digital Tax Stamps, said the system has been implemented since 2018 on 13 categories of products.
The stamps are designed to help URA track production and sales while providing information needed to assess the correct amount of excise duty.
The affected products include beer, spirits, wine, other alcoholic beverages, soda, fruit and vegetable juice, mineral and bottled water, other non-alcoholic beverages, fermented beverages, tobacco products, cement and cement bulked, sugar and cooking oil.
The engagement underscores URA’s continued push toward digital tax administration while working with manufacturers to improve understanding of tax changes and promote voluntary compliance.
Through its partnership with UMA, the authority says it will continue engaging businesses across the country to address concerns, explain policy changes and support taxpayers as they adapt to new tax administration systems.(For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
