The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has stepped up efforts to grow the tax base by onboarding new town councils to the taxpayer register. The latest drive took place last week in Cyanika, Nyakabande, Kisoro and Rubanda, with a focus on the wholesale and trade sectors.
The exercise featured sector-based workshops aimed at educating taxpayers on key tax issues, including how to compute taxes. The goal is to promote self-assessment and encourage voluntary compliance.
Kamukama Ivan, who leads the Tax Education team, guided participants through the different tax categories and computations, while responding to concerns from the local business community.
He noted that URA is committed to improving services through extended outreach, tax education and open collaboration with taxpayers.
The benefits of the self-assessment campaign were also explained to participants. Taxpayers were urged to keep track of their registration details, monitor official URA communication, and seek help from nearby URA offices when needed.
Local leaders welcomed the initiative, encouraging traders to cooperate with government programmes. During a workshop in Rubanda Town Council, the Town Clerk, Begumisa Shipha, highlighted the importance of paying taxes and acquiring trading licences to legalise business operations.
“This education will help the people understand the role of URA and become compliant,” she said, while urging the authority to maintain fairness and professionalism, especially in Rubanda which is still developing.
The onboarding drive reflects URA’s broader commitment to building an inclusive and fair tax system. By meeting traders where they are and offering targeted support, the authority aims to create an environment where taxpayers can understand and meet their obligations with confidence.
With more town councils expected to follow, URA’s ongoing mobilisation strategy — including mobile tax drives and collaboration with community leaders — is showing results. Many traders are now better informed and more willing to comply, marking an important step forward for Uganda’s economic development.