Traders demand sensitization on usage of URA’s e-Receipt

Mbarara, (UG): The business community in Mbarara City, western Uganda have asked the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to provide more sensitisation on the issuance and usage of electronic receipts among the traders and their customers.

According to Mr Simon Mwijuka Sezi the Chairperson Mbarara City Traders Association (MBACITA), the Electronic Receipt system will only the government as it requires expertise to have full knowledge of its operation.

“This URA’s electronic receipt electronic receipt issuing will not help traders or consumers but only the government because the system requires expertise meaning once a trader has been employing like two workers he or she will add the third one,” Mr Mwijuka said.

“Paying taxes is good because it is what supports the development of the country but traders will not benefit from this. Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) should first sensitize the masses both traders and consumers on how this electronic receipt works, after understanding it we shall see how to adapt to it,” he added.

Mr Emmanuel Muhumuza, the chairperson of traders in Mbarara Central market says the electronic receipt will ease tax valuations.

“URA people would come asking for revenue door to door and after days you hear them saying that we owe them yet we had paid earlier. As traders we will embrace that campaign because it is beneficial to both traders and consumers,” Said Mr Muhumuza

He added “We have to begin with mindset change. Much as it is a good programme, it will not be successful if it is not understood by people. Let them educate the targeted people,”

Mr Richard Mugalula, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Mbarara Station Head said the campaign is on among traders to encourage business owners and consumers to embrace the use of electronic receipts in their business to track their transactions.

“As Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) we are running this campaign basically to see the visibility of receipts being issued by the various tax payers in Mbarara. It is an electronic receipt that can be issued off the system of URA. The emphasis is to encourage the public to demand e-receipts whenever they buy goods and services from traders,” said Mr Mugalula

Mr Mugalula said the electronic receipts issuing is majorly targeting taxpayers who mainly deal in goods and services that attract Value Added Tax (VAT)

“The moment you register for VAT then it is a mandatory requirement that you issue an electronic receipts. That is why this campaign is called ‘mpa e-receipt yange’,” he said

He says the electronic receipt campaign will help grow Uganda’s tax register.

“Currently Uganda has a population of 45 million people. We have a tax register of close to 2 million people and we want to see it grow to 5m registered taxpayers,” Mugalula said.

According to him, when these receipts are issued, URA will able to track a number of frauds and to see a number of potential taxpayers, able to see sales that one has made which will increase the tax register and as well as grow the country’s revenue.