Doris Akol - One Year at the Top:

Where URA and Taxation in Uganda are Headed.

Presentation Order
1

Introduction

Performance

4
5

Key Achievements

Looking ahead

Q&A

Introduction

Our Vision:
To be a model for best practice and innovation in
revenue services.

Our Mission:
To provide excellent revenue services with
purpose and passion.

Country Context
a transformed Ugandan society from
a peasant to a modern and prosperous
country within 30 years
from a predominantly low income of
a per capita of USD 506
to a middle income by 2017 and per
capita of USD 9,500 by 2040
This transformation expected to be fully
financed through Tax revenue

Therefore COMPLIANCE of taxpayers is critical for the success of

this Vision

Background
Uganda Revenue Authority
- Semi- automatous
parastatal;
- 1991 - Act of Parliament;

Functions Our Purpose

1.

Administer and give effect to the

laws or the specified provisions of
the laws set out in the First Schedule
of the URA Act, and for this purpose
to assess, collect and account for all
revenue to which those laws apply;

2.

Advise the Minister on revenue

implications, tax administration and
aspects of policy changes relating to
all taxes referred to in the Schedule;

Charged with the overarching responsibility

of collecting the revenue on behalf of the
Government efficiently and equitably, to fully
finance and sustain the national recurrent
and development expenditure using the
3.
legislative regimes (laws)

Perform such other functions in

relation to revenue as the Minister
may direct.

Vision:
To be a model for best
practices and Innovation in
Revenue Services

Mission:
To Provide Excellent
Revenue Services with
Purpose and Passion
Core Values:
Respect, Integrity, Teamwork,
Excellence.

Presence in over 30 districts

2,394 staff.
6

WHO WE ARE
Our Value Preposition:
We promise excellent revenue services everywhere,
all the time at the lowest cost to you

Our Tagline:
Developing Uganda together.

Our Values:
Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence

HOW WE ARE ORGANISED TO SERVE

Commissioner
General

Operational
Commissioners

Tax & Non Tax

Revenues

Support
Commissioners

International
Trade

2014/15 Performance
At the end of FY 2014/15, URA collected
101.43% of the target, posting a surplus
of UGX 139.88 Bn, the highest since its
inception.
UGX 9,715.60Bn collected in the FY
2014/15, URA was able to finance the
national budget up to 71.5%.
Taxpayer register grew by 120,000 new
taxpayers through collaborations that
included TREP
10

2015/16 Revenue Target

Collect UGX 11.635.42 Trillion

(Net 11.106 Trillion) up from
UGX 9.974 Trillion (net 9.576
Trillion)
Tax to GDP growth 11.7% to 13%

11

Regional Performance

12

Taking over the mantle at URA

13

Focus Areas
Stakeholder Partnerships &
Engagement
Client centrism and responsiveness
Staff capacity Building
Increasing the tax contribution of the
Informal Sector
14

Key Achievements
ONE YEAR LATER

15

Taxpayer Outreaches

16

Technology Driving Business

17

Technology Driving Business

18

Key Achievements
Innovations
a)
URA introduced its
first ever downloadable
mobile application called
"ask URA" as a way of easing
accessibility to our services.
It enables users to access;
Search and verify taxpayers'
details, search Motor
Vehicle details, payments,
Tax calculator, URA
information Hub and to
Locate ones tax office.
19

Key Achievements
Enhanced Stakeholder Management
and improved relations with the
taxpayers through continuous
interactions resulted into improved
compliance levels.

20

Key Achievements
Significant contribution to
tax jurisprudence through
landmark litigation victories.
Increasing URA footprint by
decentralization of revenue
services
by opening up new
branches in down town
liaison offices on William
Street, Kansanga liaison
office, Central business
district liaison office on
Diamond trust and
Moroto town.

21

Key Achievements
Increased
visibility in
Enforcement
interventions.
Being used to help in
fight against ivory and
illegal CITES trade

22

Key Achievements
Strengthening relations
with strategic partners
in the public and private
sectors and on the
regional and
international level.
These achievements
enabled URA to better
fulfil its mandate to
collect tax and customs
revenue and ensure
compliance.
23

Key Achievements
Innovations.
b)
URA launched the e-lit
system. The network enabled
system was built to offer a
convenient method of effectively
managing case information from
initiation to closure of case.
c)
Virtual & e-communication
through monthly Facebook and
tweeter updates (press briefs),
website updates (CGO
publications), intranet updates
(CGO publications, strategic
documents), CG's communication
to all staff
24

Key Achievements
Innovations.
d)
Client service standard;
An online services catalogue
detailing all the services offered
by URA to the different clients
and stakeholders with the key
information required for them to
easily access the services was
designed, tested and launched.
e)
Implementing the Tax
Clearance Certificate (TCC)
system that currently enables
clients to request TCCs online and
monitor the compliance status of
a taxpayer on an ongoing basis
25

Key Achievements
Innovations.
f) The bridge; URA changed the
face of communication and
redesigned its intranet page
and named it the URA
Bridge. The bridge, has kept
URA as a family connecting
us across stations and
locations.
g) Improved efficiency in
revenue administration
intervention such as the
Automated Customs
Valuation and Single Customs
Territory (SCT)

26

Key Achievements
5)
Human capital
development was undertaken with
the intent of improving staff
competence and equipping staff
with specialized skills that foster
achievement of the business
strategy. Some trainings included
petroleum and oil revenue
management and Auditing Telecom
sector and leadership trainings for
managers and supervisors, PODITI
and GEAR.
6)
Taxpayer education for
taxpayers on their rights and
obligations through 104 tax
clinics/hubs and 152 radio/TV shows

27

Key Achievements
7) Omugano Gwa URA
Widening the net
for Taxpayer
Appreciation.

28

8) URA Corporate Social

Responsibility.
Both Internal and External

29

Key Achievements (CSR)

30

Key Achievements
URA as a Centre of

Excellence
Hosting myriad
benchmarking
visits
received ATAF
award of best
innovation in
Leadership
Development

31

Key Achievements
Staff matters
its about
visibility and
empowerment
Staff must feel
valued to
perform.
32

Key Achievements
End of year gift
hampers.

The URA Staff

SACCO

33

Looking ahead
The 3rd Corporate plan 2016/17 to 2019/20
The target of URA is to attain a 16% tax to GDP
ratio by 2019/20 in line with the 2nd National
Development plan (NDP II).
completing the URA business model,
undertaking a Structural review,
Ingraining the URA way,
enhancing exchange of Information with strategic
partners, completing URA house,
introduction of URA radio.
34

Looking ahead.
URA one stop
Centre (URA House)

35

Looking ahead.
Corporate Social Responsibility:

Creating value in a way that also creates

value for society - It is giving back to the
community that will impact the
community sustainably. (over the long
haul and not quick fixes)

36

Looking ahead.
Changing the face of communication with the
URA Bridge
The URA Bridge is the internal communication
platform where management and staff share
information about whatever is going on in the
organization.

37

Looking ahead.
URA
Culture Living
the
URAWay

38

Looking Ahead

Influencing Mindsets
Influencing the Influencers
Single collector of Government revenue
Electronic interfaces with all government
systems single view of the taxpayer from
early age
Use of data analytics in revenue collection. -

39

Looking Ahead
If everyone pays a
little, no one has to pay
too much Everyone
must pay their way.

40

Q&A
41