A new campaign launched by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) codenamed “Mpa e Receipt Yange” geared to promote the issuance of electronic receipts and invoices will not require the final consumer to provide a tax identification number (TIN) to the seller.
Launching the campaign, URA Commissioner General, Mr John Musinguzi, said that it is intended to cultivate a culture of accountability and record keeping.
“It is a lame excuse for the seller to require a TIN from a buyer, a TIN for the final consumer is not necessary. However, for e-invoice, a TIN is a requirement,” he said.
According to him Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS) is a new smart business solution that is used to record business transactions and share information with URA in real time. It involves the use of e-invoicing through the URA web portal and direct communication with business transaction systems (system-to-system connection), electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs), and Electronic Dispenser Controllers (EDCs) to manage the issuance of e-receipts and e-invoices.
He said these are two important ingredients for any business to succeed and any economy to develop. We need to have accurate records for us to know the growth of our business and for us consumers to know how much we are spending on what activity,” he said.
He noted that the ‘Mpa E-Receipt Yange’ campaign will be activated in the districts of Hoima, Arua, Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Jinja, Masaka, Mbarara, Fort Portal, and Kampala where different prizes will be won including a fully paid six-day safari, motorcycles, fridges, and laptops among others.
Mr Musinguzi called upon all final consumers to always demand their e-receipts which inform them of their fair share of taxes contributed to the national confers.
The Commissioner General also appealed to businesses to get on EFRIS for better record keeping and management of their transactions and applauded taxpayers who are already using EFRIS technology in their businesses.