UMA urges for more sensitization on e-receipting system

By Olivia Nabaggala

19^th April 2024

The Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has noted that the implementation and enforcement of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) system by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to traders was rushed.

This has been disclosed by the chairman of UMA Deo Kayemba saying there is need to educate traders about the system before resorting to the current mandatory enforcement.

This follows the ongoing closure of shops by traders in Kampala and other cities protesting the implementation of the EFRIS system, which the Ministry of Finance insisted on.

Kayemba says EFRIS was rolled out prior to adequate sensitization and education on the use of the system to traders that have caused the current impasse.

He advises that before implementing this system, the Government through URA should invest in equipment to facilitate smooth implementation so as to reduce the burden of implementation cost on the taxpayers.

Kayemba also expressed concern on high handedness on the penalty yet the implementation still has some challenges that must first be addressed on both the taxpayer and URA.

He now appeals to the ministry of finance; planning and economic development to drop EFRIS related penalties that were issued against all traders and manufacturers to enable traders to start from a new page in the next financial year 2024/25.

Kayemba also proposes a 1% penalty invoice value by Parliament in the ongoing tax bills for the next financial year associated with implementation of EFRIS based on the invoice value to drive compliance.

He however urged traders to embrace EPRIS since manufactures have already embraced it since it widens the tax base.

His comments come at a time when president Museveni met traders at State house Entebbe over their strike that has closed the fourth day.