By Our Reporter
MTN Uganda was on Friday recognised among the country’s top taxpayers, receiving the Uganda Revenue Authority’s Highest Revenue Contribution Excel Award for remitting UGX 2.47 trillion in taxes over the past three financial years (FY2022/23–2024/25).
The award, presented during URA’s Annual Thanksgiving Day at the authority’s Kampala headquarters, underscores the telecommunications company’s strategic importance to Uganda’s revenue generation efforts as the nation pursues ambitious economic expansion targets.
It is also important to note that for the current financial year (FY 2025/26), URA indicated that MTN Uganda continues to post monthly growth across key tax heads, reinforcing its record of consistency and reliability.
MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Sylvia Mulinge, said the recognition affirms MTN’s role as a dependable partner in national development. “This recognition from URA speaks to our consistency and our commitment to Uganda’s progress,” she said, pledging continued support for the country’s 10x growth vision aimed at achieving upper middle-income status by 2040.
Mulinge highlighted the urgency of strengthening domestic revenue streams, noting Uganda’s 14% tax-to-GDP ratio remains a constraint on development financing. “We are proud to be doing our part in developing Uganda as we become a country that is able to fund its growth from our own domestic resources,” she said.
Uganda’s revenue performance has shown marked improvement. The URA Commissioner General, John Musinguzi Rujoki revealed that collections totaled UGX 31.6 trillion last financial year against a target of UGX 31.3 trillion, representing 16.8% growth. Over five years, the authority has recorded consistent double-digit expansion of approximately 13% annually, nearly doubling intake from UGX 16 trillion.
Despite these advances, Rujoki acknowledged that current revenues meet only half of Uganda’s budgetary requirements, hampering full financing of infrastructure, education, healthcare and other development imperatives. He emphasized that integrity and ethical conduct remain essential to sustaining revenue growth and supporting the nation’s broader transformation agenda.
MTN Uganda’s tax remittance constitutes a substantial portion of national collections, demonstrating the outsized impact of major corporate taxpayers on development financing. The company’s contribution extends beyond fiscal compliance to encompass digital inclusion initiatives, technological innovation and job creation that drive broader economic empowerment.
“Thank you to URA, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and all our stakeholders for this recognition. You can continue to count on us as we develop Uganda together,” Mulinge said.
As Uganda navigates the challenge of financing critical infrastructure and social programs, strategic alliances with leading taxpayers like MTN Uganda have become instrumental to achieving fiscal sustainability and long-term economic independence.