For one to prove ownership of any services or goods purchased, they must have a receipt. This is a global practice but in Uganda, not many people have embraced it.
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is now urging consumers to demand for receipts of the goods and services when they make payments, as one way of guaranteeing product safety and widening the tax base.
Asadu Kigozi, the manager arrears and enforcement at URA, said soon, it will become difficult for consumers who buy goods without a receipt to get help in case they get a problem with such goods.
According to URA, not many Ugandans appreciate the value of receipts yet they help in ensuring compliance among taxpayers and also assuring customers of safety of products they buy in shops or supermarkets.
Kigozi said in any business, issuance of a receipt comes with a number of advantages that businesses need to exploit.
But even though there is no law that compels a seller to issue a receipt for any transactions, Kigozi said this needs to change.
For retail businesses that fail in the category of presumptive tax, the receipt system offers a lifeline in easing payments without hurting anyone’s business.
Kigozi said for anyone who provides the tax authority with information about business that dodge taxes by not issuing receipts, the whistleblower shall get 10% of the recovered tax.
The tax body is currently working on implementing an electronic billing system.