In a significant move to bolster Uganda’s revenue generation and fiscal discipline, President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law nine major bills designed to shape the country’s economic management in the 2025/2026 financial year.
The announcement was made by the President via his official account on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, June 30, 2025.
The new laws, mostly centered on tax reforms and public expenditure, are aimed at refining government operations, tightening tax enforcement, and enhancing trade regulation.
“Today, I have signed the following bills into law,” Museveni wrote, listing the nine acts passed by Parliament in preparation for the implementation of the national budget.
The newly enacted laws include:
1. The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, 2025
2. The Stamp Duty (Amendment) Act, 2025
3. The Excise Duty (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 2025
4. The Tax Procedures Code (Amendment) Act, 2025
5. The Supplementary Appropriation Act, 2025
6. The Hides and Skins (Export Duty) (Amendment) Act, 2025
7. (Note: One Act appears incomplete — marked “Amendment Act, 2005”)
8. The External Trade (Amendment) Act, 2025
9. The Appropriation Act, 2025
The signing of these bills comes just days after the passage of the 2025/26 national budget, enabling the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and other agencies to activate updated revenue measures immediately.
The Appropriation Act, a cornerstone of the new fiscal year, authorizes government expenditure according to the priorities approved by Parliament.
Complementing it is the Supplementary Appropriation Act, which covers unplanned or emergency spending needs not originally accounted for in the annual budget.
Also key among the reforms are amendments to the VAT, Excise Duty, Stamp Duty, and Tax Procedures Code, which aim to tighten tax administration, widen the tax base, and seal loopholes that have long undermined revenue performance.
On the trade front, revisions to the External Trade Act and the Hides and Skins Export Duty Act reflect efforts to strengthen Uganda’s regulatory framework for exports, particularly in high-value commodity sectors.
Analysts in the finance and legal sectors have welcomed the new legislation, saying it positions Uganda for more disciplined budget execution and improves the efficiency of tax collection systems.
However, they also noted that the success of the new measures will depend heavily on clear implementation guidelines from the Ministry of Finance.
As Uganda begins the new financial year, the legal backing now in place sets the stage for rolling out government programs across key sectors such as infrastructure, education, health, and security areas that have been earmarked for increased investment under the current budget.
