KAMPALA, UGANDA – President Yoweri Museveni has assented to nine new bills aimed at strengthening domestic revenue mobilization, streamlining tax procedures and enhancing fiscal discipline ahead of the 2025/26 financial year. The signed legislation includes crucial amendments to several tax laws.
Among the key bills signed into law are the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, 2025; the Stamp Duty (Amendment) Act, 2025; the Excise Duty (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2025; the Tax Procedures Code (Amendment) Act, 2025; the Income Tax (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2025; and the External Trade (Amendment) Act, 2025. Additionally, the Hides and Skins (Export Duty) Act, the Supplementary Appropriation Act, 2025, and the Appropriation Act, 2025, also received presidential assent.
In a related development to bolster public finance management, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has issued revised guidelines for the issuance of Certificates of Financial Implications (CFIs). These certificates are a mandatory requirement for all legislative and policy proposals submitted to the Cabinet or Parliament, outlining their potential financial impact on the economy.
Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, stated that the revised guidelines are intended to address long-standing concerns, including delays in issuance, insufficient information provided by entities and inadequate capacity to assess policy impact. The original CFI guidelines, established in 2015, were deemed in need of significant strengthening after nearly a decade.
The updated framework introduces a comprehensive review process that includes assessments of budget impact, economic and distributional effects, and fiscal risks. It also defines clear lead times and mandates stakeholder impact assessments to evaluate effects on vulnerable populations, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and regional communities. This ensures that policy decisions are fiscally responsible and socially inclusive.
To enhance transparency and accountability, the revised guidelines establish three Regulatory Fiscal Assessment Committees: one at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) level, another within the Programme Working Group framework, and a third at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. These committees are designed to strengthen consultations and coordination throughout the review and approval processes.
