The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has stepped up efforts to encourage businesses to adopt the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS), highlighting its role in improving record keeping, promoting tax compliance and supporting business growth.During the Uganda Economic Forum 2026, URA Acting Assistant Commissioner for Tax Education, Masembe, explained that EFRIS is an automated tool that helps businesses keep accurate records of their income, expenditure and sales.
He said the system enables business owners to understand their transactions better and maintain reliable financial information.Masembe emphasised that proper record keeping is essential for businesses to monitor their performance, manage expenses and meet their tax obligations. He explained that EFRIS gives business owners a clearer picture of how money moves through their operations, helping them make informed decisions and maintain organised financial records.“EFRIS comes in as an automated tool, provided by URA to assist in record keeping, that gives you a clear line of sight on the expenditure and incomes and the sales that you’re making,” Masembe said.The URA official noted that the authority continues to educate taxpayers about EFRIS and encourage more businesses to use the system.
The initiative is part of efforts to strengthen tax administration by ensuring that businesses maintain accurate transaction records and comply with their tax responsibilities.Masembe explained that businesses can access EFRIS through a smartphone application, a web portal or system integration, depending on their needs and existing business systems. These options are intended to make the solution accessible to different categories of businesses and simplify the process of recording transactions.He also stressed the importance of supporting documents, particularly for manufacturers claiming business expenses and allowable tax deductions. Such documents help businesses demonstrate that their expenses are genuine and provide evidence to support the deductions they claim when calculating their tax obligations.
For manufacturers and other business operators, accurate records of purchases, sales and expenditure are important in managing operations and meeting tax requirements. Keeping proper documentation can also help businesses avoid disputes arising from unsupported expenses or incomplete financial information.Beyond tax compliance, the discussions at the Uganda Economic Forum 2026 also focused on putting money into people’s pockets, which is the theme of the forum. During the discussions, attention was drawn to government tax exemption policies and the conditions attached to certain exemptions, particularly the requirements aimed at supporting local production and employment.Speaking about the policy measures, a contributor explained that many tax exemptions are conditional and are intended to deliver wider economic benefits beyond simply reducing the tax burden on selected businesses.“From the policy perspective, I talked about the exemptions. Most of the exemptions are conditional,” the speaker said.The speaker explained that under the conditions discussed, businesses are expected to source 70 per cent of their raw materials locally where they are available.
The approach is intended to encourage businesses to purchase from Ugandan suppliers, create opportunities for local producers and ensure that more money circulates within the country’s economy.“In so doing, we want to put money in the hands of Ugandans,” the speaker added.The discussion also highlighted local employment as another important condition. According to the speaker, 70 per cent of the workforce should comprise Ugandans, with the policy intended to ensure that local workers benefit meaningfully from business activities and investments.“We do not want a scenario where the workforce is 70%, but the remaining 30% takes 90% of the jobs,” the speaker said, emphasising the need for employment arrangements that allow Ugandans to benefit from the opportunities created by businesses operating in the country.The speaker explained that the broader objective is to retain more money within Uganda and ensure that it contributes to domestic economic development. By encouraging local sourcing and employment, the policy approach seeks to strengthen local businesses, expand employment opportunities and increase the circulation of money within the economy.EFRIS is part of URA’s wider efforts to improve transparency in business transactions and encourage responsible tax compliance. By helping businesses organise their financial information, the system is intended to make it easier for taxpayers to manage their records while supporting the authority’s work in administering taxes.
As the Uganda Economic Forum 2026 continues to explore ways of improving the country’s economic environment, the discussions highlight the importance of combining effective tax administration with policies that support local production, job creation and business growth.URA is encouraging businesses to learn more about EFRIS and understand how it can support their daily operations. The authority’s message is that good record keeping is not only a tax requirement but also an important part of running a successful and sustainable business.Through continued taxpayer education, increased adoption of EFRIS and economic policies designed to benefit local businesses and workers, the discussions point to the importance of building a business environment that promotes transparency, compliance and sustainable national development.
