Taxman 6

AskURA
INTERVIEW
with the business teams of Domestic Taxes,
Customs and other URA departments to
collect requirements and suggestions for
further improvement.
4- How has the App eased communication
with clients?
14 14
The App provides functionality to three
categories of users: taxpayers, URA
staff, and the public. There are services
offered without user authentication but for
confidential information, one is required to
login.
This innovation has benefited URA and her
clients in various ways as explained below:
1. Improved access to URA services by the
self-servicing method. AskURA targets
smart phone users whose percentage is
growing worldwide and even in East Africa
as reported by the Sunday Vision of 31st
March, 2015. Using the app has reduced
the cost of accessing URA services that
initially required one to own a computer or
use internet cafes or walk to URA offices.
With AskURA, one can make inquiries,
search taxpayer and motor vehicle details,
make tax payments using their mobile phone
without having to make any movement.
For this reason, the app won the Uganda
Communications Commission organised
ACIA Award 2016 for best e-governance
tool. The public voted the winners.
This is evidence that the public is using it
and they gave it more value compared to
nine other entries from other government
agencies.
2. 24-hour tax payment and real time
reconciliation has been realised by interfacing
with the mobile platforms. This means taxes
can be collected 24 hours compared to the
past when one had to wait for the banks to
open.
3. AskURA App is translated in the commonly
used languages in Uganda e.g. English,
Luganda, Runyakitara and Swahilli, helping
to communicate with illiterate and semi
illiterate taxpayers and extending relevance
beyond the boarders of Uganda.
Availability in several languages is key to
trade facilitation.