URA optimistic of using digital stamps to increase domestic revenues

With only 13 products carrying digital tax stamps, as per the second schedule of the Local Excise Duty Act, 65% of the overshs1 trillion collected in the last financial year is directly attributable to this solution.

Since 2019, the solution has been adopted as part of the domestic revenue mobilization strategy by URA.

As such, beer, soda, bottled water, wines, Spirits, tobacco products, sugar, cement, other fermented beverages, fresh juice and vegetable juice, any other non-alcoholic beverages, and cooking oil, the tax man says that the endeavour to affix digital stamps onto these products have yielded results

Out of the 25 products in the second schedule of the Local Excise Duty Act, five of them are exempted, 20 products should have digital tax stamps and only 13 of these carry the stamps.

“These contribute about 65% local of the over shs1 trillion we collected in 65% in the last financial year,” URA spokesperson, Ibrahim Bbosa says.

The track and trace platform has however been a key cost pain point to manufacturers, and traders alike.

The URA Commissioner General was in the Kikuubo business centre last week to listen to the traders’ concerns

Bbosa says that the cost of digital tax stamps has reduced since inception and thus, there is no cause for concern

“The cost is calculated on volumes. The price of DTS in 2019, was high but it has reduced over time. A quick example is soda where the stamp was shs55  per stamp has been reduced, on soda it was shs20 it was reduced to shs17, and tobacco from shs50 to shs23 because usage has increased over time. “

Non-compliance with local excise duty comes with heavy penalties and thus, the tax man says that no one should fail to comply

The amendments in the law have come with stringent penalties and they can go as high as shs10 million to shs50 million.

“These can injure your business so it is very risky for you to dodge or tamper with the stamps. We shall implement this for the greater good of the country,” Bbosa said .

The trace and truck platform relays production and importation data for specific products in real time to both URA for tax assessment and UNBS for quality purposes.

The taxman hopes to collect shs27.73 trillion in this current financial year, and such solutions are hoped to bless this goal.