Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)'s Hafsah Seguya Nabachwa has said that from client feedback, the revenue collecting organization discovered an information gap between them and the traders.
“I joined URA in 1994, and I've had exposure in different units, in the different tax types outside ministering, so I decided to do the teaching because of that. I can speak with authority and confidence about what happens there. I chose to teach because we have a big gap in tax education for our clients. We need to engage them more so that we can understand their perceptions of us.” she said.
Mrs. Seguya made the statements in an interview with Crystal Newman on the Groove Cafe. She stated that the public had several misconceptions about the services provided by the agency and its management of funds.
“Ugandans in the old days thought we take the revenues collected at home and decide what to do with them. So we needed to tell the difference between what is a mandate, what we do, and what we don't do. Some have tried to understand but others are still confused about what the taxes do and why we haven’t constructed infrastructure."
she continued, “So slowly by slowly, we have been informing them and creating awareness that as the revenue is collected for the government. Different ministries are responsible for addressing the challenges in those sectors, and legislators in parliament are responsible for airing out their grievances so that they can be equally addressed.”
She also said that due to education against tax evasion, some people are slowly turning from it because of its costs. However, she also noted that it's a process of continuous education and empowerment.
Mrs. Seguya is part of the team that created the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing solution (EFRIS) that helps traders produce E-invoices and receipts in a standardized way.
The system also is intended to improve the record-keeping and maintains transparency between the tax collector and the trader.
Hafsah holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance and Bcom Finance from Makerere University and 1 & 2 certificates in Integrated Tax Administration. She has spent over 26 years working at URA.
She is renowned for sensitizing the public about tax-related issues such as domestic taxes, and policy amendments, especially for the informal sector via different media houses.
She is now championing the sensitization about the implementation of EFRIS to both internal and external stakeholders about its usage, adaptability, and importance.
The Groove Cafe with Crystal Newman airs every Weekday from 4-5 pm on RX Radio.
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