By Kamugisha Kabahweza Allan
Uganda Revenue Authority has called on traders to acquire individual Tax Identification Numbers to ease their interaction with the taxman.
Speaking at a tax education engagement at Kiseka Auto Centre Plaza in Kiseka Market on Wednesday, Tax Education expert Ivan Kamukama urged traders to apply for individual TINs and avoid using other taxpayers’ TINs saying it affects their businesses.
He explained that taxpayers have had issues with the taxman on several occasions due to sharing of TINS, noting that such cases are not easy to settle.
“Avoid sharing TINs with other people because they are not theirs. You can never complain that the taxes on your TIN are not your responsibility. I urge each of you to obtain an individual TIN to enable interaction with URA,” implored Kamukama.
He also advised taxpayers to be truthful while applying for a TIN saying the details matter in determining liable taxes. “Fill in all the information in the TIN application, tell us exactly what you do and when your business closes, inform URA to deactivate it,” he said.
URA’s Muwonge Joshua called on traders to always engage the taxman if they get setbacks in their businesses saying, “URA is here to support you grow your businesses as you fulfil your tax obligations. We are not here to kill your businesses, as some allege.”
During the engagement, concerns were raised about different taxes being applied to the same item.
URA Customs Enforcement Officer David Mpande requested traders to always submit all documents related to their imports to enable URA to correctly asses the taxes.
“We know goods are bought from different countries, and each country has its tariffs and prices. If you don’t provide us with the right documents, we end up guessing and give you a wrong tax assessment,” said Mpande.
He informed traders that URA uses the Cost of goods, the Insurance paid and transportation cost (CIF) to determine the taxes.
Matthias Kaleebi, a Uganda National Bureau of Standards official cautioned traders against making cash payments.
“Our agencies don’t accept cash payments and if anyone asks for money, report them immediately, it’s a red flag for corruption.”
He asked traders to always get an Import Clearance Certificate and keep it in their shops to enable the inspection teams to verify the goods.
The Nakivubo Village Chairman, Mugerwa Tadeo called on traders to always attend URA’s sensitization programs to gain insights on how taxes are calculated and who should pay the taxes.
“Most times we fight with URA due to ignorance, we don’t attend these sensitization meetings and end up blaming URA, always attend,” he said.
