The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) brought its mobile tax office to Kanoni Town, Gomba District, where local traders welcomed the door-to-door presumptive tax campaign with increased compliance and optimism marking a successful follow-up to earlier sensitization efforts in the region.
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has continued its nationwide presumptive tax drive with a door-to-door tax collection and sensitization campaign in Kanoni Town, Gomba District.
This latest stop under the #TujengeUganda mobile tax office follows a similar successful engagement in Kabulasoke Town.
Unlike Kabulasoke, where many business owners were unfamiliar with tax registration, Kanoni traders had already been sensitized during a prior outreach by the Mityana Domestic Tax Office. During that visit, officials educated traders on presumptive tax and issued Payment Registration Numbers (PRNs), paving the way for today’s active tax collection.
This phase focused on actual payments, supported by agency bank operators stationed near the mobile tax unit. These agents enabled real-time payments, allowing many traders to meet their obligations efficiently.
Presumptive tax in Uganda targets small enterprises with annual turnovers between Shs 10 million and Shs 150 million. Payments range from Shs 80,000 and up, depending on the business category.
Tax Education Supervisor for the Midwestern Region, Ziyad Kakeeto, clarified the initiative’s scope in a discussion with Henry Ssali, a prominent NRM mobilizer in Kanoni, who had come to relay traders’ concerns about alleged over-taxation.
“It is those businesses which have a turnover above Shs 10 million but below Shs 150 million that we have been engaging for tax payment. Businesses have been paying from as little as Shs 80,000,” said Kakeeto.
Following their dialogue, Ssali endorsed the campaign and recommended a formal partnership between URA and local leaders to foster tax education and voluntary compliance.
“Such collaboration will help address misconceptions and strengthen relations between URA and the business community,” he noted.
Local traders echoed this sentiment. Ail Kivumbi, who paid Shs 100,000 in presumptive tax, said the URA’s education campaign made the process more transparent and acceptable. “Knowing why I was paying made it easier to comply,” he said.
One enthusiastic trader dubbed Kanoni the “city of Gomba,” citing its growing economic activity and rising tax compliance as signs of progress.
URA officials view the presumptive tax campaign as vital to expanding Uganda’s revenue collection, especially from the informal sector. The authority estimates that over Shs 2 trillion is lost annually due to tax evasion and under-declaration in this segment.
With the success seen in Kanoni, URA plans to extend its mobile tax office initiative to more towns across Uganda, focusing on sustained community engagement and simplifying tax payments for small businesses.
