By Akinyi Winiefred, Media Management and Correspondence by Paul Kawanguzi, Sentongo Trevor and Kyambadde Gabriel
Uganda Revenue Authority’s tax education team has concluded a 6-day outreach in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Ntungamo, Kamwenge and Ibanda sensitizing and educating citizens on their tax obligations, raising assessments and offering tax advisory services.
The outreach registered success with the teams registering over 500 new taxpayers.
The team combed areas of Kisoro, Rubaare, Rwamwanja, Kitagwenda, Kamujogera, Muhammadan, Ntara, Ishongororo and Ibanda where over 1,000 businesses were reached, and over 1,000 brochures were issued as well as donating 200 taxation handbooks to Ibanda University Library.
Residents exhibited compliance with some attesting to already having Tax Identification Numbers and being tax compliant. Mugisha Gaudy Kyakunzire, a proprietor in Ibanda advised her colleagues to always approach URA officers for any challenges.
According URA’s Ag. Manager tax education Michael Masembe, the drive in Western Uganda was informed by the recently released Twaweeza report on citizen’s awareness on tax matters that revealed Western Uganda as the least sensitized region.
“We need to put more effort and increase awareness just like we have done in the Central region and increased presence in the East” he explained.
Recently, the tax education team registered success in Kakumiro and Kagadi districts where over 2,000 residents were facilitated in processing their land titles through TIN registration.
Masembe noted that the bus creates URA presence in areas that do not have permanent offices, saying “the Tujenge bus brings services provided at URA offices closer to clients such as TIN registration, amendments, and raising assessments.”
Similarly, another team of educators is conducting tax katales in Luweero where over 100 TINs have been issued and PRNs amounting to UGX 5 million generated so far. Tax Katales are door to door tax education drives held to sensitize taxpayers of their obligations and offer tax advisory services.
The Tujenge team has started traversing areas of Rukungiri, Kanungu and Bushenyi this week.
