Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has issued new administrative guidelines on how to quickly process tax refunds under domestic taxes.
In a statement issued today, URA that is headed by John Rujoki Musinguzi (pictured) as Commissioner General said the guidelines are aimed at fast tracking pending tax refund applications so as to support the economy recover from COVID-19 pandemic effect.
“All supporting documentation must be submitted in full and at once within 2 days after submission of the tax return with refund claim. All refund claims with partial documentation to support it shall be rejected,” URA’s notice reads in part.
It adds that clients with pending refund claims who are unsure of what they submitted or have not submitted complete documentation to support their claims are advised to submit amended returns online or submit full documentation by 20th May 2020.
URA adds that the same guidelines above shall apply to the offset claims.
“Taxpayers submitting tax refunds shall be expected to ensure that the claim is 100% legitimate. Any fraudulent refund claims will attract severe sanctions including prosecution,” the statement further reads in part.
It should be noted on March 25th 2020, URA unveiled measures of a tax administration nature to support taxpayers in meeting their obligations.
The tax body has since updated the measures.
About filling returns, URA says taxpayers whose returns are due by 15th May 2020 and are unable to file are granted an extension up to 31st May 2020.
“This relates to the monthly business continuity measures namely; VAT, PAYE, Local Excise Duty, Withholding Tax and taxes under the Gaming and Lotteries Act,” URA says.
It adds that taxpayers whose returns were due by 15th April 2020have been granted further extension to file returns. The new filing date has been extended to 31st May 2020.
“This is in relation to the monthly tax types communicated in our previous business continuity measures namely; VAT, PAYE, Local Excise Duty, Withholding Tax and taxes under the Gaming and Lotteries Act,” the tax body says in a statement.
It adds that taxpayers whose accounting date is 31st October and were unable to file corporation tax returns by 30th April 2020 have been granted extension to file returns. The new filing date is 31st May 2020.
“Penalties and interest for late filing shall be remitted if filed by extended date,” the statement further reads.
About payment in installments
According to URA, taxpayers who restructured their payments to resume in May 2020 and are unable to meet their obligations during this period have an option to further reschedule the payments to resume in June 2020. This applies to taxpayers whose businesses have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions.
URA further urges taxpayers to utilize its online services.
For inquiries and feedback: please contact URA via the following platforms
a) Email: services@ura.go.ug
b) Toll free lines: Call 0800117000 or 0800217000 or 0417444602 (Non-toll free)
c) Website: http://ura.go.ug
d) Social media: Facebook – URApage | Twitter – @URAuganda
e) Customs: URA Customs Help Tool – https://help.ura.go.ug/login for customs transactions and correspondences
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