By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
Uganda Revenu Authority (URA) has been asked to go slow on implementing the new Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS).
The Uganda People’s Congress(UPC) says that traders lack sufficient knowledge on the new initiative.
Speaking to journalists at the party’s headquarters in Kampala, the party president Jimmy Akena said the tax regulatory body should first sensitize business operators on the use of this system.
“The focus and emphasis should be put on educating and engaging the business community about such policies on a regular basis,” Akena said.
Accordingly, URA is still enforcing the use of EFRIS system to record business transactions and share the information with URA in real time. However, this has increased tension between the traders and URA leading to business closure in Kampala and other parts of the country. Last week, traders in Kampala and other parts of the country staged an industrial strike against the EFRIS system, unfair taxation such as the 18% VAT, and infiltration of Chinese investors in the local market.
UPC says some tax policies highly favour foreign investors which affects local businesses and undermine efforts of government programs such as the Buy Uganda Build Uganda. They suggested that government should involve stakeholders in formulating policies which are favourable to all businesses.
“UPC therefore, demands for fairness and equity in the implementation of such policies (tax waivers) without discrimination to reduce on the impasse in the trade sector.” Akena demanded
UPC added that frequent industrial unrest such as the ongoing traders strike does not only affect internal business transaction and collection of government revenue, but also put regional trade at stake.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is this week expected to meet leaders of striking traders to explore ways of resolving their objections as the strike takes a firm stand and spreads across the county.
