AI is helping us to register more taxpayers, says URA
Mr Ibrahim Bbosa
What you need to know:
- Other technologies such as electronic physical receipting and invoicing and digital tracking, among others have been deployed by URA to increase tax registration
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has said it is deploying technology driven initiatives, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to register more tax payers.
Speaking during the 11th Annual Taxation Training, Mr Ibrahim Bbosa, the URA assistant commissioner public and corporate affairs, said URA is applying artificial intelligence in the registration and acquiring of tax identification number (TIN) in just a few minutes, which previously would take one about a month to acquire.
“Today a TIN is instant as long as you have a national ID or a national identity number. You can use a phone or a computer and it is all free,” he said, noting that URA had adapted technology in bonded warehouse management to eliminate smuggling.
Other technologies such as electronic physical receipting and invoicing and digital tracking, among others had been deployed to increase tax registration.
Therefore, Mr Bbosa, said the technologies have already shown progress by standardising and generating a regular flow of taxes.
URA also indicated that it was engaging the Judicially to close loopholes that might exist due to advancement in technology.
Principal Judge Flavian Zeija, said given that taxation is not an easy subject, acceleration and advancement in technology has made it a requirement for constant upgrade of the law.
A number of areas such as e-commerce and social media, among others have been growing yet the existing tax policies are largely weak to effectively govern them.
“In order to meet the inevitable, increases in likely taxation disputes will always arise,” Justice Zeija said, noting that those involved in resolving tax disputes need to be at the cutting end of understanding tax laws and technological changes to appropriately handle disputes.
