At Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), we are a client-focused and responsive organisation that attracts and nurtures talent and innovation to deliver a great client experience in an enjoyable environment.” This culture statement defines who we are. We are focused on being more client-centric and improving our quality of service delivery. This is what we call the URA way and we strive to live by this! Owing to the ever dynamic business environment, constantly creating new ways to serve our clients and stakeholders and improving the quality of our services is something we deliberately invest in. The drive to innovate is exhibited through the various products we provide to our clients.
On November 24, in partnership with MTN and Stanbic Bank, we launched our mobile money payment platform. The objective of this is to promote convenience for clients in meeting their tax payment obligations. This is based on the fact that at least 52.3 per cent of Ugandans have access to a mobile phone, according to a recent release by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
This indicates that as a nation, we are on a path to maximum tele-density penetration. URA is cognizant of the fact that many of our clients, particularly in the Informal Sector, use and rely on mobile phones to transact their businesses. This means that they must be facilitated to meet their obligations with the greatest ease possible.
Additionally, a great number of our population has embraced the use of mobile money platforms. It is, therefore, imperative for us as an organisation to tap into this sector as a means of providing alternative payment mechanisms. In addition to our existing tax payment platforms and as the business environment continues to evolve, we will also purpose to roll out innovations that match the increasing demands.
The Mobile Money Tax Payment platform is available to all our clients who have access to the MTN mobile money service and will initially be available for payments not exceeding Shs 4m for the following taxes and fees:-
1. All domestic taxes like Income Tax, VAT, PAYE, Excise duty, Gaming and Pool Betting and Withholding Tax.
2. Import taxes assessed on passenger baggage and post parcels baggage.
3. Non Tax Revenues like Motor Vehicle Transfers, driving permits, stamp duty, etc.
4. Other Non-Tax Revenues like Police Express Penalties, Court fees, Registration fees under Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Passport Fees, etc.
We are hopeful that other telecoms will soon come on board so that the reach is spread even wider. Taxpayers are encouraged to embrace this platform to enjoy the several benefits that arise such as the reduced cost of compliance, maximising time savings and the convenience of payment anytime and anywhere. Our contact and service centres remain open to provide hand-holding and troubleshooting support to our clients as they use the service.
Another tool that has been developed in-house by our software development team is the URA APP code named AskURA. This is URA’s first mobile app and its aim is to ease communication with clients. It is currently available for those with android phones. Simply download the app for free from Google Playstore. With this app, one is able to search and verify taxpayer details, motor vehicle details, register for payments, locate your nearest tax office and also do certain tax calculations. Our clients are encouraged to make use of this application to ease business with URA. The MTN mobile money platform could soon be used together with the URA app to provide an end to end service for our clients at one single point – the client’s mobile phone..
Following feedback from clients during our various tax education engagements, a number of other products are currently under development. Among them are the Point of sale (POS) solutions as well as a mobile wallet concept, which will see various players join the field, and which will enable clients use their preferred networks of choice. It is anticipated that numerous benefits will arise from these tax payment platforms such as;
1. The ability of our clients to make use of vendor services in the event that they do not have sufficient funds on their mobile money accounts.
2. The ability to replenish accounts using vendor services;
3. Convenience to pay your taxes from anywhere hassle free especially for fees that require speed such as court bail fees;
4. Receive instant notifications of payments from your telecom services provider, bank and URA;
5. Reduction in the cost of doing business for clients especially in remote areas (ease of payment) Reduced anxiety or stress for clients who need to pay immediately e.g. traffic fines;
6. Avoiding the queuing at banks. Uganda Revenue Authority is committed to efficiently and effectively serving the citizens of Uganda. We shall continue to explore new mechanisms to pursue excellent service delivery as we develop Uganda together!
Ms Akol is the commissioner general Uganda Revenue Authority.
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