Despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises that affected the economy, the Ugandan taxpayer has not blurred their ambition to contribute their fair share of the revenue.
URA collected Shs21,659.44 billion in the last financial year (2021–22) – the biggest collection ever in Uganda, according to URA.
The revenue grew by 12.44 percent as compared to collections for FY 2020/21, which reflects a nominal growth in revenue of Shs2,396.44 billion.
However, the outturn for the year saw a net revenue collection of Shs21,659.44 billion, short of Shs704 billion against a target of Shs22,363.51 billion.
According to the Commissioner General John R. Musinguzi, the growth in revenue performance for the financial year is attributed to measures such as arrears management, expansion of the register, currently at more than 2.5 million taxpayers, country-wide customs enforcement initiatives, alternative dispute resolution, and tax investigation initiatives, among others.
Domestic tax collections were Shs13,664.65 billion against a target of Shs14,662.13 billion, registering a deficit of Shs997.48 billion and a performance rate of 93.20 percent.
The domestic tax collections grew by Shs 1,520.64 billion (12.52 percent) compared to the last financial year.
The customs collections were Shs 8,434.36 billion against a target of Shs 8,140.49 billion, posting a surplus of Shs 294.63 billion and registering a performance of 103.62 percent.
The customs collections also grew by Shs 929.25 billion compared to the last financial year.
With the FY2022/23 target of Shs25.1 trillion at hand, the Commissioner General unveiled a number of key strategic measures that URA will undertake to support taxpayers to comply but also get the country out of the shame of economic dependence, and poverty.
The government did not introduce any new taxes in Financial Year 2022/23 due to the need to foster speedy economic recovery.
However, there are amendments in the tax legislation intended to provide clarification on ambiguous provisions and close loopholes that may lead to revenue leakage.