Akinyi Winiefred
Uganda Revenue Authority has today launched the “mpa e-receipt yange” campaign to promote usage of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS) through consumer demand for fiscalised receipts when they make purchases.
The campaign, which will run for 3 months, will see participants win various prizes when they submit fiscalised receipts through the MPA e-receipt app or on the URA website.
While launching the campaign, Commissioner General John Musinguzi said the goal of the campaign is to drive a culture of accountability and record-keeping.
“These are two important ingredients for any business to succeed. For any economy to develop, we need to have accurate records for us to know the growth of our businesses and for us as consumers to know how much we are spending,” Musinguzi said.
He continued by saying that if EFRIS is successfully implemented, taxpayers won’t need to file returns because they will be generated automatically using the data given by the system.
Despite the slow uptake, introduction of EFRIS has improved VAT revenues, according to Sarah Chelangat, Commissioner for Domestic Taxes.
“For this financial year alone and since the launch of EFRIS, we have seen VAT grow by about 43%; we can have this grow up to 100% if each one of us embraces the e-receipt campaign,” she said.
Thadeus Musoke, the head of the Kampala City Traders Association, urged business owners to adopt EFRIS saying it will level the playing field for those who pay by bringing in non-compliant businesses. He added that using EFRIS will protect their businesses from theft by managers and shop attendants.
“URA has introduced technology that also ensures the keeping of proper business records; you can know how much profit you have made, which means the people we employ have no way to steal from us,” Musoke said.
The Mpa E-Receipt Yange campaign will be implemented in a number of districts throughout the Country, including Hoima, Arua, Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Jinja, Masaka, Mbarara, Fortportal, and Kampala. Prizes to be won include, among others, a fully paid six-day safari for two people in Uganda, motorcycles, refrigerators, and laptops.
