By Abdullah Rabiiba
The URA Tujenge Bus campaign recently concluded its stop in Mbale and surrounding areas, successfully meeting January presumptive tax targets while enhancing URA’s visibility in the Bugisu sub-region.
Held from January 27th to 31st, 2025, the outreach initiative promoted tax compliance and strengthened URA’s presence in local communities.
By engaging households and businesses in areas with limited tax information, the campaign helped Mbale DT exceed its January 2025 presumptive tax target.
In partnership with the Mbale DT team, they collected UGX 60,914,080, surpassing the target of UGX 56,813,174 by UGX 4,100,906. Of this, UGX 37,342,000 was collected through the Tujenge bus outreach campaign.
James Maloba, Ag. Regional Manager, commended the campaign’s impact.
“The Tujenge Bus did more than inform residents about tax, it made URA highly visible in these communities. It became a hub for tax discussions, leading to a rise in registrations, especially for presumptive taxes, as seen in Tororo and Jinja. This is exactly what we aimed for,” he stated.
The URA-branded bus, served as a traveling awareness platform, increasing URA’s presence in the districts of Mbale, Pallisa, Bududa, Manafwa, Nakaloke, and Budadiri. Its presence sparked curiosity and raised awareness of URA’s role in local development.
Additionally, the bus provided on-site Tax Identification Number (TIN) registration, helping informal sector businesses formalize and contribute to the tax system.
Micah Samuel Gaalya, Ag. AC Tax Education, highlighted the focus on taxpayer growth and targeted tax education.
“We expect taxpayers to grow with us, moving from presumptive to medium and eventually large taxpayers. For instance, those in the lowest presumptive tax band this year should progress to UGX 600,000 next year and UGX 900,000 the year after. Eventually, they will fully register and transition from presumptive taxation,” he elaborated.
“Our interventions are based on insights from local tax stations rather than top-down initiatives. Engaging with these stations helps shape informed strategies for the coming year,” Micah added.
Ivan Naigono Wolufu, the Chairman of the Budadiri Business Community, applauded URA’s efforts in bringing services closer to the people.
“Many people didn’t know their businesses qualified for a TIN. Your presence in our village has reminded us of our obligations as citizens,” he noted.
