By Fidel Boy Leon
In business, as in life, rhythms don’t stay the same for long. When the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) first rolled out its Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) in 2021, it was a tune meant for a select few sectors, such as supermarkets, large wholesalers, and manufacturers. But now, the beat has shifted.
Twelve more industries will have to learn the new steps from July 1, 2025, and integrate EFRIS into every transaction they make.
This expansion, announced by URA Commissioner General John R. Musinguzi under the Tax Procedures Code Act and the E-Invoicing and E-Receipting Regulations of 2020, means more than just regulatory compliance. It’s about bringing some of Uganda’s most dynamic and historically under-reported sectors into a system designed for transparency, fairness, and accountability.
The newly added sectors span everything from wholesale and retail fuel sales to arts, entertainment, and recreation. Each will now be required to issue authenticated e-invoices and receipts for every transaction. Failure to comply could mean penalties of up to double the tax due, suspension of licences, or even prosecution in cases of deliberate fraud.
The EFRIS platform captures every sale or service transaction electronically, transmitting it in real time to URA’s database. This ensures that what the seller records matches exactly what the tax authority sees.
It’s a system that closes tax leakage by making under-reporting nearly impossible, simplifies record-keeping for compliant businesses and speeds up VAT refunds, since URA can instantly verify claims.
For customers, each EFRIS receipt comes with a unique verification code they can check via URA’s online portal or mobile app. This gives buyers assurance that they are dealing with a legitimate business and helps choke off the trade in fake receipts.
URA’s decision to add these industries isn’t random. Each is either high-value, high-frequency, or historically prone to informal cash transactions that never make it to the tax ledger. The full list now includes:
- Fuel Retail & Wholesale – Every litre sold at the pump will now be logged in real time.
- Mining & Quarrying – From gold to gravel, no truckload leaves without a trace.
- Manufacturing – Beverage plants, furniture makers, and textile mills must declare every sale.
- Utilities – Providers of electricity, gas, and water must align billing with EFRIS.
- Construction – From cement suppliers to contractors, cash-based tax evasion gets harder.
- Transport & Storage – Cargo movements and warehousing services are now fully tracked.
- Hospitality – Hotels, lodges, and restaurants join the compliance list.
- ICT – Internet providers, telecom contractors, and IT consultants must issue verified e-invoices.
- Real Estate – Rental income and property sales will now leave a digital footprint.
- Professional Services – Law firms, architects, engineers, and research firms in scope.
- Arts & Entertainment – Ticket sales for concerts, cinemas, and events will be reported.
- Waste Management & Remediation – From garbage collection to hazardous waste disposal, payments must be logged.
In some sectors, such as fuel sales and construction, under-reporting has been a long-standing challenge. In others, like arts and entertainment, ticket sales often happen in cash-heavy, lightly monitored environments.
By bringing all of them into EFRIS, URA aims to level the playing field between businesses that comply and those that evade.
Under the law, noncompliance with EFRIS comes with consequences such as fines of up to twice the tax dues, suspension of trading licences and, in severe cases, prosecution for tax fraud.
This is backed by URA’s growing enforcement capacity. In 2023 alone, inspections and audits recovered billions of shillings in unpaid taxes from businesses bypassing EFRIS. Officials say the new sectors will face the same level of scrutiny, with real-time monitoring of their sales data.
For Uganda’s economy, the EFRIS expansion is more than a compliance upgrade; it’s a step toward a culture of tax honesty. By reducing loopholes, URA is not only safeguarding public revenue but also ensuring compliant businesses are not undercut by competitors operating in the shadows.
And here’s where the proverb comes full circle: when the drums of compliance change, businesses must adjust their dance. Those who move with this rhythm will find their records cleaner, their tax processes faster, and their operations more competitive. Those who resist? They may soon discover that trying to keep the old steps to a new beat is a costly.