The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has stepped up efforts to transform the way taxpayers are identified and managed, with the transition from Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to National Identification Numbers (NINs) taking centre stage in Uganda’s drive to improve domestic revenue collection. URA Commissioner General John R. Musinguzi said the initiative, being implemented together with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and other stakeholders, will help create more reliable taxpayer records and strengthen revenue administration.
Musinguzi said the TIN-to-NIN transition is part of a wider effort to make Uganda’s tax system more connected, efficient and responsive to the changing economy. He explained that Uganda’s tax base is evolving rapidly, with informal businesses, digital trade, mobile payments, cross-border transactions and other emerging economic activities creating new challenges for revenue authorities. The integration of identification and tax information is expected to give Government a clearer picture of economic activity and improve compliance.Speaking during engagements with Parliament, Musinguzi said revenue mobilisation should not be treated as the responsibility of URA alone. He called for stronger cooperation between Parliament, the Ministry of Finance, Government institutions and taxpayers, noting that the money collected through taxes supports public services, investment and the country’s ability to withstand economic pressures.
He also urged Members of Parliament to support efforts aimed at widening the tax base rather than repeatedly placing additional pressure on taxpayers who are already compliant.The URA chief pointed to digital systems such as EFRIS as important tools in the new approach to tax administration. He said EFRIS enables URA to obtain more reliable information about transactions between buyers and sellers, helping the authority track economic activity and encourage businesses to operate formally. He also highlighted improvements in customs administration, data and intelligence, tax-base expansion and institutional reforms as some of the measures supporting revenue growth.Finance Minister Henry Musasizi said Uganda’s development ambitions require the country to increasingly finance its own transformation instead of depending heavily on borrowing and development partners. He said Government wants to grow Uganda into a USD 500 billion economy over the next 15 years under the Tenfold Growth Strategy, with agro-industrialisation, tourism, minerals and oil and gas, science, technology, ICT and the creative industry identified among the key areas of focus.
He stressed that such ambitions require a strong and sustainable domestic revenue base.Musasizi also called for greater action against revenue leakages arising from tax evasion, under-declaration, smuggling, undervaluation and other forms of non-compliance. At the same time, he said Government must help small businesses move from informality into organised enterprises through registration, taxpayer education, technology and simplified compliance. He urged URA to distinguish between deliberate tax evasion and businesses that simply need assistance to understand their tax obligations, saying fair and professional treatment of taxpayers is important in building confidence in the tax system.The Minister further urged Parliament to support the protection and expansion of Uganda’s tax base, appropriate use of digital systems and information sharing, as well as stronger accountability for public resources. He said revenue collection must go together with proper management of the money collected, arguing that citizens will have greater confidence in paying taxes when Government demonstrates that public resources are being used efficiently. Parliament, he noted, has an important role through legislation, budgeting and oversight.
Closing the engagement, Parliamentary Budget Committee Chairperson Amos Kankunda thanked Musasizi and URA for bringing legislators together to discuss revenue mobilisation. Musinguzi and other URA officials maintained that Uganda’s current revenue trajectory requires further strategic interventions if the country is to achieve the targeted 20 percent tax-to-GDP ratio by the financial year 2029/30. The TIN-to-NIN transition is therefore being positioned not simply as a change in taxpayer identification, but as part of a broader effort to build a more connected, data-driven and accountable tax system capable of supporting Uganda’s long-term economic transformation.
