Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has opened a regional office in Masaka. The new office, located on plot 31 Muwenda Mutebi Road will serve as the URA service center for the South Western region.
The URA Commissioner General, John Musinguzi, said the development is aimed at improving accessibility of services by the taxpayers and other regional offices are lined -up in Mbale and Gulu cities next financial year.
“With this new office, we aim to streamline our services and enhance our communication channels, making it easier for you to access the necessary information and resources. Every service that would have required you to travel to the URA Headquarters, you can access it here ,” Musinguzi said while thanking the people of Masaka for paying taxes and encouraged them to use the new office as the first platform for engagement with URA.
Musinguzi said URA will grow revenue collections this financial year by leveraging the innovations that were recently unveiled in its digital strategy. These include , online return pre-filled form with a taxpayer’s EFRIS transactions- which will replace the existing MS Excel return form for tax periods commencing on November 1, 2023; the revamped tax ledger; and the annual Rental Income Tax Return, among others.
Musinguzi revealed that the tax body collected Ugx 6,015.56 billion in the first quarter of this financial year, recording a growth in revenue of Ugx 607.47 billion compared to the first quarter of FY 2022/23.
This growth is attributed to the increase in fuel import volumes, arrears recoveries from corporations and agencies, continuous taxpayer engagements, monitoring of the debt stock, and intensified field activities that spurred remittances from taxpayers.
Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune, the Minister of State for Microfinance, who represented the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, congratulated URA on the milestone and called on the tax body to increase taxpayer education to ensure revenue targets are achieved.
“Many people would wish to pay taxes, but they are not educated. We must narrow the gap between URA and the taxpayer,” he said.
Mathias Mpuuga, the Member of Parliament for Nyendo-Mukungwe, commended URA for changing the skyline of Masaka and for the symbiotic relationship between the tax body and the taxpayers in the city.
Others who attended included Abed Bwanika Member of Parliament for Kimanya-Kabonera, Florence Namayanja, the Mayor of Masaka City, and the Resident City Commissioner of Masaka, Hudu Hussein..
