Lira City witnessed the launch of the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS) on July 17th, 2023, as the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) responded to consumer demand for focused receipts.
The new platform aims to support Value Added Tax (VAT) registered taxpayers who are not designated to use the system-to-system invoicing method. Additionally, a desktop application has been developed to enable taxpayers who cannot afford Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) to utilize EFRIS.
The implementation of EFRIS is expected to reduce corruption and promote clear accountability in business transactions. Mr. Mujabi Geoffrey, the Station Head of URA’s Domestic Taxes Office in Lira, emphasized that noncompliance with the system will result in penalties, as directed by the Ugandan Parliament.
During a media briefing at the event, Geoffrey appealed to taxpayers to embrace this development, highlighting its potential to contribute to the nation’s economic growth and foster good accountability.
He emphasized the importance of accurate records for businesses to succeed and for consumers to have visibility into their spending habits.
The launch event held at Lira Mayor’s Garden attracted hundreds of businesspeople who were eager to witness and participate in the introduction of EFRIS.
Benefits of EFRIS include the fast-tracking of refund claims using e-receipts or e-invoices, which will be facilitated by the availability of information within the system.
The implementation of EFRIS is a step towards enabling URA to provide taxpayers with prefilled tax returns in the future, minimizing delays and costs associated with filing tax returns.
By providing transactional data on sales and purchases, URA aims to facilitate accurate reporting, which taxpayers can confirm or modify with additional information.
Prefilled tax returns will help taxpayers avoid penalties for late or non-filing, while real-time tracking and validation of business transactions will enable efficient business management, including proper bookkeeping and sales management. The digital storage of transactional data in the system eliminates the risk of physical loss of tax invoices.
EFRIS operates by capturing transactional details in the seller’s invoicing system or point of sale, encrypting and transmitting them to URA in real time to generate e-receipts and e-invoices. Upon receipt of the transactional details, EFRIS decrypts the data and formats it into an e-receipt or e-invoice, incorporating key features such as the fiscal document number, verification code, and quick response (QR) code. The encrypted fiscal data is then transmitted back to the seller’s system, allowing for the printing of e-receipts and invoices without significant delays.
All individuals registered with URA have access to an EFRIS account, which can be accessed using their registered Tax Identification Number (TIN) and password. To ensure security, a one-time password (OTP) is sent to the user’s active email address telephone number. Taxpayers are expected to register and utilize the EFRIS solution for their daily business operations.
