Customs agents need a joint body to reap bigger   Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is the regulatory body for Customs and Forwarding Agents. Elvis Basudde spoke to Peter Kaujju, the Public and Corporate Affairs manager about their work. Below are the excerpts.   Can you tell us about URA? URA was established in 1991 by the Uganda Revenue Authority Statute No.6. It is the central body for assessment and collection of specified tax revenue. It also administers and enforces laws relating to such revenue and accounts for all the revenue collected. URA also advises the Government on matters of revenue policy.   What is URA’s role over customs and forwarding agents? Section 145 of the East African Customs Management Act empowers URA to license and regulate the operations of clearing agents in the region to ensure consumers get quality service. Clearing agents are licensed annually and those who fall short of the set rules and regulations lose their licenses.   What are the requirements for the issuance of a valid custom agent license? Applicants must submit their audited accounts, certified copies of articles and a memorandum of association of the company, a list of bankers for the company, directors and shareholders and tenancy agreements for suitable office accommodation. The agent needs to execute a General Customs Agency Bond CB 11 at an amount agreed between them and their insurance company or a bank guarantee of the same amount upon communication from the commissioner for customs.   Some customs agents have not recognised the right information technology to boost their work. Below, Peter Kaujju of URA The agent also pays an annual license fee of $400 upon communication from the commissioner that the applicant is successful.   Is there a significant improvement in the provision of clearing and forwarding services since the formation of URA? Customs clearance has grown over the years with increasing growth in business and the economy. We have progressed from the manual systems to automated ones. This means provision of efficient services to tax payers as well as the collectors. We have linked all our systems and introduced new systems like ASYCUDA, which stands for Automated System for Customs Data, and the Revenue Authorities Digital Data Exchange (RADDEx). The clearing agents and inland container depots came with the liberalisation of the economy and increased volumes of business. It is a requirement for a bond warehouse operator to have a computer with a modern and live connection to the customs automated system to prepare and register warehousing declarations and perform other functions on the system like registering direct tax payments.   What achievements have you scored in this area? We have invested in partnerships with all stakeholders. We developed a curriculum for clearing agents and we conduct training on matters of clearing at the URA Training School in Kampala. We have linkages with some agents who have access to our systems like ASSYCUDA. We want to enhance training for them so that those that are still running as briefcase entities can grow.   What challenges is the sector facing? Like any other sector, there are challenges but one that stands out is the failure for the clearing agents to unite under one umbrella and speak with one voice. Many of the small firms have not embraced the right IT and need to build infrastructure to be able to transact and improve service delivery.