Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is stepping up efforts to increase its visibility in smaller towns across major districts, within the Acholi sub-area, through the Tujenge Mobile Bus tax outreach.

Isaac Gyagenda, the Ag. Supervisor for Tax Education Outreach in Northern Uganda has emphasized that a strong URA presence in these emerging business hubs will not only assure them of continued URA support but also leverage their potential to contribute significantly to national revenue.

“If we are in these small towns right from the beginning, walking the journey with business owners, right from the periphery, from Egypt to Canaan, then they will see URA as a reliable business partner in their success,” Gyagenda remarked.

His comments come as URA launches a five-day Tujenge mobile Bus outreach initiative in Kitgum District, one of the seven districts in the Acholi sub-region, where they will also cover parts of Lamwo and Pader districts. 

The campaign aims to educate, offer free tax advisory services tailored to the unique needs of business owners, and improve tax compliance among local businesses.

As part of a revised strategy, Gyagenda says that the outreach team doesn’t just encourage tax compliance but also assists in issuing assessments for the presumptive tax head, a move that has significantly helped local Domestic Tax (DT) offices meet their monthly revenue targets.

The impact of this new approach is already evident. Last week, when the Tujenge initiative camped in Gulu, the team managed to collect UGX 39,581,220 in paid Payment Registration Numbers (PRNs) within five days. This represented 63.3% of Gulu’s monthly presumptive tax target of UGX 62,548,695.

Isaac said that with such success, the team hopes to replicate these results in Kitgum and other districts, ensuring that even the smallest businesses understand their tax obligations and how compliance can benefit their growth.

Akwari David, the Station Head, Kitgum DT office commended the team’s timely additional support and expressed his optimism towards reducing the remaining deficit margin of about UGX 8 million of the presumptive tax head. “I know there are some areas we can collectively mop, and recover the remaining balance.”

By Dismas Nuwaine