With the increasing focus on governance and regulation, tax compliance has
never been so important. Compliance failure represents not only a financial
risk — financial penalties and a possible increase in the tax charge —
but also a serious business risk, as it can damage a company’s reputation
with the authorities and the public. Businesses need to be able to manage multi-territory
compliance requirements and keep abreast of changes in local legislation that
affect these requirements.
- Our Tax Services division is split into two distinct services:
- Tax
- Company Secretarial and related corporate services
Tax
The Ugandan tax system features corporate and personal income tax, value added
tax on goods and services, customs and excise duties, and stamp duty. There
are also a number of statutory levies and social security payments. Taxes are
collected by self-assessment and by withholding tax on payments to residents
and non-residents. Employers are obliged to withhold and account for income
tax on employee remuneration and benefits (the PAYE system). Penalties and interest
on non-compliance and late payment of taxes are onerous, and the Uganda Revenue
Authority conducts regular audits and investigations of taxpayers.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited offers a range of tax services to assist taxpayers
with tax planning, compliance and revenue negotiations. Our staff with accountancy,
legal, or Revenue training and experience, specialise in corporate and withholding
tax, employee and personal tax, indirect tax (VAT and duties), or company secretarial
and related corporate services.
With our pre-eminent client base of multinational and major national companies,
our staff have the opportunity to develop in-depth expertise in industries such
as banking and insurance, energy and mining, telecommunications, manufacturing
and retail, tourism, and agriculture.
Together with our network of offices across Africa, we offer international
tax advice, as well as advice on the structuring of commercial operations both
regionally and internationally. As with any tax regime, the amount of tax payable
can vary considerably depending on how the business is structured, and on the
manner in which transactions are undertaken.
Consider the following:
- Do you want to know and take advantage of the available unilateral and double
taxation relief and incentives in Uganda?
- Are you thinking of acquiring or disposing of a company (shares or assets)
and want to know the most tax efficient way of doing it?
- Are you looking at investing in Uganda so as to maximize the benefit of
tax incentives and minimize tax costs?
- Is balance sheet restructuring being considered with a view to improving
shareholders’ wealth and you would like to do this efficiently from
a tax point of view?
- Do you want to know the impact of withholding taxes, VAT and Excise duties
on third party and inter-company transactions in country and across borders?
- Are you thinking of deploying staff into Uganda and wish to know how best
to manage the tax cost on the company and the expatriate?
Our tax team:
- assists our clients with the preparation and filing of income tax returns
for companies and branches and advises on the payment of provisional and final
taxes;
- conducts tax "health checks" to provide assurance on compliance
with income tax, withholding tax, PAYE, social security, and VAT payments;
- advises and assists with tax repayments
- negotiates on your behalf with the Uganda Revenue Authority, applies for
waivers of penalties and interest, raises objections to assessments, and provides
support in the case of appeals to the Tax Tribunal.
Through the relationship that we have built with stakeholders over the years,
we are given an opportunity to contribute to tax policy and tax administration.
Our views are respected and taken into account when changes are made to legislation.
Company Secretarial
We provide company secretarial services, company and branch administration.
Our team has lawyers who can provide a range of advice on share and other corporate
transactions, employment law, and business licenses and permits.
