URA extends motor vehicle revalidation deadline

By Vision Reporter

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has extended the deadline for the motor vehicle revalidation exercise to April 30, 2014.

The extension is meant to give motorists a chance to sort out their current motor registration challenges such as absentee transferors, missing car models and incorrect motor vehicle details.

Revalidation is the process of capturing all details of one’s motor vehicle. It is meant to create a match between the statistics URA has and the actual cars on the roads. It started in July 2012. The revalidation exercise affects heavy goods omnibuses and tractors, medium goods omnibuses, light goods omnibuses and tractors, motor cars, dual purpose vehicles, engineering plant, motor cycles, pedestrian controlled vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.

Motor vehicles imported into the country from July 2012 to date are registered into the online registry by default and therefore owners need not participate. Henry Saka, the commissioner, domestic taxes yesterday said that as a gazetted licensing officer under the Uganda Road and Safety Act, (URA) authority is improving all motor vehicle services such as transfers, alteration of particulars, searching for vehicle details.

“The manual register we are currently trying to weed out affects the quality of motor vehicle service offered, that is why all motor vehicle owners are required to update these details online. It, for instance, took close to two months to merely search for a particular file for a motor vehicle when the need arose. However, with the online register, these details are just a click away,” he stated.

A populated online register will curb fraudulent transactions such as fake log books and the risk of buying a stolen car without knowing, Saka said.

In the coming months, the authority staff will be based in strategic places countrywide to assist motorists with revalidation challenges.

“Our approach is to have customised hubs and education centres handling a particular challenge like absentee transferors country wide. We will also involve third parties like the Police under one roof to handle all issues as they arise,” Saka explained. Motorists, who have validated will be able to easily transfer ownership in case the need arises, alter particulars and use their vehicles as collateral.