{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Trusted News Uganda","provider_url":"https:\/\/trustednewsug.com","author_name":"Admin","author_url":"https:\/\/trustednewsug.com\/index.php\/author\/kabuye\/","title":"Go Slow on EFRIS implementation, UPC warns URA - Trusted News Uganda","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trustednewsug.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/17\/go-slow-on-efris-implementation-upc-warns-ura\/\">Go Slow on EFRIS implementation, UPC warns URA<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\n<!--\/\/--><![CDATA[\/\/><!--\n\t\t\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n\t\t!function(d,l){\"use strict\";var e=!1,n=!1;if(l.querySelector)if(d.addEventListener)e=!0;if(d.wp=d.wp||{},!d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage)if(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(t)if(t.secret||t.message||t.value)if(!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var r,i,a,s=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),n=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),c=0;c<n.length;c++)n[c].style.display=\"none\";for(c=0;c<s.length;c++)if(r=s[c],e.source===r.contentWindow){if(r.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message){if(1e3<(a=parseInt(t.value,10)))a=1e3;else if(~~a<200)a=200;r.height=a}if(\"link\"===t.message)if(i=l.createElement(\"a\"),a=l.createElement(\"a\"),i.href=r.getAttribute(\"src\"),a.href=t.value,o.test(a.protocol))if(a.host===i.host)if(l.activeElement===r)d.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",t,!1),d.addEventListener(\"load\",t,!1);function t(){if(!n){n=!0;for(var e,t,r=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf(\"MSIE 10\"),i=!!navigator.userAgent.match(\/Trident.*rv:11\\.\/),a=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),s=0;s<a.length;s++){if(!(e=a[s]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))t=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t);if(r||i)(t=e.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute(\"security\"),e.parentNode.replaceChild(t,e)}}}}(window,document);\n\/\/--><!]]>\n<\/script><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/trustednewsug.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/17\/go-slow-on-efris-implementation-upc-warns-ura\/embed\/\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Go Slow on EFRIS implementation, UPC warns URA&#8221; &#8212; Trusted News Uganda\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/trustednewsug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/IMG-20240417-WA0217.jpg","thumbnail_width":1000,"thumbnail_height":563,"description":"By Jumah Kakomo The Opposition Uganda People&#8217;s Congress (UPC) has urged the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to revise on the EFRIS issue which lured traders to close their shops in protest across the country. Currently, the traders are protesting the system which they say they are not yet familiar with and the high taxes imposed on them thus describing it as a stumbling block to their businesses. According to URA, EFRIS in full is Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution. It entails the use of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs), e-Invoicing, or direct communication with business transaction systems to manage the issuance of e-receipts and e-invoices in accordance with the Tax Procedures Code Act 2014. Once a transaction is initiated using any of the solution\u2019s components, transaction details are transmitted to URA in real time to generate e-receipts and e-invoices. Section 73A of the Tax Procedures code 2014, provides the legal framework for implementing EFRIS. The provision provides for the commissioner to specify by a notice in the Gazette, taxpayers for whom it shall be mandatory to use EFRIS under the various business models i.e. Business to Business (B2B), Business to Government (B2G), and Business to Consumer (B2C) in Uganda to issue e-receipts or e-invoices. Speaking to the media on Wednesday at party headquarters Kampala, the UPC President Jimmy Akena said that UPC has noted that EFRIS started with big business establishments like industries and super markets among others. And extending the policy to medium sized business establishments has posed a challenge as the business community lacks sufficient knowledge on this new tax initiative. \u201cURA must go slow while implementing the EFRIS program. The focus and emphasis should be put on educating and engaging the business community about such policies on a regular basis\u201d Akena said. According to Akena, \u201cUPC believes that involving stakeholders in formulating policies is key and educating them about the same is very paramount! All along, Uganda has&nbsp;been&nbsp;registering&nbsp;industrial unrest&nbsp;especially in the&nbsp;health and education sectors.\u201d He added that today, it is the trade industry having concerns with the&nbsp;implementation of the&nbsp;new&nbsp;Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) initiative by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) under the Domestic Revenue Mobilization Program whose aim is to record business transactions and share the information with URA in real time which has&nbsp;increased&nbsp;tension between the traders and&nbsp;URA leading&nbsp;to business closure in&nbsp;Kampala and other parts of the country at a time when businesses are just recovering from the consequences of Covid-19 lockdown. \u201cThis does not only affect internal business transactions and collection of&nbsp;government revenue,&nbsp;but also put regional trade at stake\u201d Akena stated. He says UPC holds the view that such Government policies should be fair to the citizens and there must be equitable access to opportunities and services. For instance, in 2018, UPC opposed the infamous Over-The-Top (OTT) tax on data as it was very unfair to the taxpayer and a hindrance to the growth of the digital economy in Uganda, which was later abandoned by the Government. He says their view was and still is the same on the mobile money tax! Much as the Government is trying to enhance the tax revenue, it is a bad idea to over stretch the taxpayer! Akena further highlighted that UPC has been keenly following with concern the discrepancies in the issue of tax waivers, which has highly favored foreign investors at the expense of the local traders. \u201cMuch as we need to influence foreign investment as a country, we should not allow sacrificing our local companies. This may undermine our efforts to Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU). UPC therefore demands for fairness and equity in the implementation of such policies (tax waivers) without discrimination to reduce the impasse in the trade sector\u201d Akena stated. Akena attributes all these to the National Budget of Uganda as it continues to increase year-in-year-out in the wake of the struggling economy thus forcing the Government to initiate new tax policies and programs to collect the targeted UGX. 31.574 trillion Taxes in the FY 2024\/25 with the taxpayer hoping for good service delivery return, which of late, is a tall order especially in health, education and social welfare programs hence escalating tension. Akena adds that Taxpayers in the country are still very small compared to the population of the country and therefore they should be treated properly as they are the backbone of the country&#8217;s economy and he urged the government to cut on the expenditure as most of the expenditure is not beneficial to the people of Uganda but it is costly."}