In a bid to collect more taxes, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has threatened to prosecute tax defaulters in Uganda if they don’t settle their liabilities within two weeks.
URA says it has published the first list of tax defaulters that includes individuals and companies. The list comprises over 100 companies and are mostly domiciled in Uganda.
“The taxpayers listed below have accumulated tax liabilities with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and are hereby notified to settle their respective liabilities within two weeks from the date of this notice. Failure to comply will attract enforcement action including prosecution,” it warns.
Some the institutions cited as tax defaulters are; Aboke High School, Bwogi, Kawalya & Partners, Christ The King Kindergarten & Primary School, Arua School of Comprehensive Nursing, Arum Sub County, All Saints University, Gulu and Ambassador Joseph Tomusange.
URA says more tax defaulters will be revealed in the days coming ahead.
URA is tasked to collect about Shs20 trillion in the financial year 2019/20. President Yoweri Museveni has always criticized the agency for failing to collect enough tax revenue to fund the country’s development.
While addressing delegates attending the recently concluded 4th International Conference on Tax organised by African Tax Administration Forum in Kampala (ATAF), Museveni said Uganda can collect more taxes from booming real estate sector if the electronic means are applied by URA.
Museveni said the real estate sector was one area of leakage due to tax evasion. “Ugandans have put up a lot of buildings and many of them are rented. If you digitally map all the properties, you can know which ones are occupied by owners and the ones for rent,” he said although he urged tax authorities to impose more taxes on luxuries than production side to boost economic growth.
In the fiscal year 2018/19, URA performed better as than it did in the previous year, as it collected tax revenue of about Shs16.6 trillion which was above the target of about Shs 16.4 trillion.
