Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has directed that the implementation of the Uganda Revenue Authority’s (URA) Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) tax penalties be suspended with immediate effect to give room for wider consultations into their status.
The President said this while holding discussions with the leadership of traders in Kampala and upcountry districts at State House Entebbe on Friday, April 19, 2024.
The meeting followed a strike by several traders in Kikuubo and other areas in downtown Kampala on Monday, April 8, 2024, who closed their businesses, expressing their discontent with URA’s implementation of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS).
According to President Museveni, all penalties should be suspended by the URA in the meantime to allow for more extensive dialogue. The trade leaders decided to reopen their businesses while continuing to consult with the government.
“I have directed that URA discontinue issuing penalties and recovering any penalties that have already been issued, but taxpayers must continue to pay their taxes as usual. It is good they have agreed to open up their businesses as we continue to find solutions to the issues raised,” Museveni said.
During the meeting, the President informed the traders that he would meet the technocrats from the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development and URA on April 24, 2024, for wider consultations. And for the traders on May 7, 2024, at the Kololo ceremonial ground.
The delegation of 61 leaders was led by Mr. Kabanda John, the leader of the Federation of Uganda’s Traders Associations (FUTA), Dr. Musoke Thadeus Nagenda, and the leader of the Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA), Mr. Issa Ssekito, and the Spokesperson of KACITA.