Uganda maps 2.1 million taxpayers as tax ID switch begins

Uganda has mapped 2.1 million taxpayers as its revenue authority begins a one-year change in how taxpayers are identified, according to Daily Monitor Uganda (direct). The transition moves from the Tax Identification Number, or TIN, to the National Identification Number, or NIN.

The Uganda Revenue Authority, known as URA, has divided the transition into three phases. Mapping comes first, followed later by biometric authentication—a way of checking identity using physical characteristics. The source material does not describe the third phase or give a separate timetable for each step.

The 2.1 million figure relates to taxpayers mapped, rather than people who have completed every stage of the transition. That distinction matters: mapping is the opening stage of a process that also includes a later identity check. The reported count should not be read as a tally of completed biometric checks.

For business readers, the development concerns the identification system used in tax administration. The change is being introduced through a year-long transition, with the mapping exercise providing the first reported measure of its progress.

The next stage to watch is biometric authentication. Its rollout will mark the move beyond mapping as URA continues the shift from tax numbers to national identification numbers.