A URA assessment is an opening position — not a final verdict.
Wrong assessments get overturned every week in Uganda — through objection, ADR and the Tax Appeals Tribunal. But the rights expire on strict statutory deadlines, and the quality of your first objection shapes everything after it. Led by Odur Micheal, former URA officer of nearly a decade.
Most assessments that stand, stand because nobody objected properly in time.
When URA issues an assessment you believe is wrong, the law gives you a ladder: a formal objection to URA itself, then Alternative Dispute Resolution, then the Tax Appeals Tribunal, then the courts. Each rung has strict deadlines — objections must be lodged within the statutory window, and appeals likewise. Miss the window and even a plainly wrong assessment can become final and collectible.
The other quiet killer is a weak objection: a letter of protest without grounds, evidence or legal reasoning. It gets dismissed, and now you're appealing from a weaker position. A strong objection does the opposite — it frames the dispute on your terms, marshals the evidence once, and very often ends the matter without ever reaching a tribunal.
We draft objections the way URA's own review officers are trained to evaluate them — because our founder sat in those rooms for close to a decade.
The cost of waiting: Objection and appeal deadlines are statutory and unforgiving. In many disputes a portion of the assessed tax must also be paid or secured to proceed — the earlier we engage, the more options remain open.
What this can cost you
- A wrong assessment becoming final and collectible by default
- Enforcement — agency notices, garnishment — while you hesitate
- Weak first objections poisoning the record for later appeal
- Paying disputed amounts that a proper objection would have removed
- ADR opportunities missed because nobody asked for them
- Legal costs multiplying at tribunal for want of early evidence work
What people assume
“Fighting URA is pointless — they're the government. Cheaper to just pay and move on.”
What's actually true
The objection, ADR and Tribunal system exists precisely because assessments are often wrong — estimated figures, mismatched data, misapplied law. Taxpayers with organised evidence and proper representation succeed regularly, and many disputes settle at ADR without a hearing. What's genuinely expensive is paying a wrong assessment to avoid a process you never tested.
What we handle for you
- Assessment review: is it wrong, where, and by how much — in writing
- Objection drafted with full grounds, evidence and legal basis, filed on deadline
- ADR strategy and representation — often the fastest, cheapest resolution
- Tax Appeals Tribunal case preparation and representation
- Coordination with counsel where matters proceed to the courts
- Settlement negotiation and payment-term structuring at every stage
A defined process, start to finish
We review
Rapid analysis of the assessment against your records and the law. You get a candid merits opinion — including if we think you should settle.
We object
A comprehensive objection lodged within deadline, built to succeed at first instance and to strengthen every later stage if needed.
We resolve
ADR where it serves you, Tribunal where it must go — pursued to a final, documented resolution with terms you can live with.
Deliverables
- Written merits assessment with recommended strategy
- Objection filed on time, with full evidence bundle
- ADR representation and negotiated settlement documentation
- Tribunal pleadings and representation where pursued
- Final resolution documented and enforced on URA's systems
- Post-dispute compliance adjustments so the issue doesn't recur
Priced to your situation — not a rate card
Dispute fees follow the amount at stake and the stage reached — always quoted stage by stage, so you control escalation.
“Meet 'Alupo Hardware' — assessed UGX 86M after a data-matching exercise treated her wholesale purchases as unreported sales. Our objection demonstrated the goods were stock-in-trade with margins evidenced by her EFRIS records. The assessment was vacated in full at objection stage — it never needed ADR.”
Illustrative composite scenario reflecting real client patterns — details changed to protect confidentiality.
FAQs — Objections, ADR & Tax Appeals
The statutory objection window is short and strict — measured in weeks from the assessment, not months. Treat the date on the letter as a countdown. If your deadline is near or unclear, contact us today and we'll confirm it immediately, free.
In many cases a portion of the disputed tax must be paid or secured for the dispute to proceed — the rules depend on the stage and the matter. We advise on the exact requirement and negotiate terms so the dispute doesn't strangle cash flow.
Alternative Dispute Resolution is a structured negotiation between you and URA, without a tribunal hearing. It's faster and cheaper than litigation and URA engages with it seriously. With strong evidence, ADR is often where good outcomes happen.
It depends entirely on the merits — which is why our first deliverable is a candid written opinion. If the assessment is right, we'll tell you and negotiate terms instead. If it's wrong, you'll know exactly where and how we prove it.
Yes. We review the record as it stands, preserve what helps, repair what we can, and take conduct of the matter from wherever it is. The earlier the handover, the more we can do.
Not sure where you stand? Let's find out — before URA does it for you.
A 30-minute consultation tells you exactly where you stand, what it will cost to fix, and what happens if you wait. No obligation.