URA, Stanbic Bank launch online tax payment platform


Stanbic Bank Uganda’s chief executive, Patrick Mweheire, (2nd Right) demonstrates how to make tax payments using the online and mobile money tax payment solutions launched on Monday at the URA head offices. Looking on are Ag. Commissioner General Patrick Mukiibi and Ag. Commissioner Domestic Taxes Cyprian Chillanyang.

Uganda Revenue Authority and Stanbic Bank launched an online platform on Monday that makes it possible for taxpayers to make payments using bank cards and mobile money.

The platform is on the URA website and is available to both Stanbic and non-Stanbic customers. It allows taxpayers to meet their obligations using a debit or credit card (Visa and Master Card) or with MTN mobile money.

Over Shs74m was collected by URA through the platform in its testing phase than ran from 1 December 2017 to 31 January, a statement issued by Stanbic said. Additionally, URA has collected over Shs4.5bn through similar e-payment platforms, the first of which was launched in March 2017.

“The mobile money and digital solutions are a fantastic innovation that will simplify the payment and collection of taxes by offering greater convenience,” Patrick Mweheire, Stanbic Bank’s chief executive, said at the launch at the URA head offices in Nakawa, Kampala.

Patrick Mukiibi, the acting commissioner general at URA said the authority is keen on process improvements that “stimulate compliance by leveraging the appropriate technology to reduce time and cost of doing business.”

The new platform will reduce time and costs in tax payment activities, thus eliminating compliance obstacles, Mr Mukiibi added.

Other payment solutions that have been launched by URA include mobile point of sale terminals on the PayWay network, MTN mobile money, a real time gross settlement system, and electronic funds transfers.

Using the platform
To make a payment, logs on to https://ura.go.ug and request for a Payment Registration Number. The payment is completed by entering the relevant Visa /Master card details or MTN mobile money account on the Stanbic payment tab.

The bank debits the card or mobile money wallet, processes, and posts the payment into a URA account. URA is notified about the payment and an electronic receipt is sent to the taxpayer, who then has to present the receipt to URA.