Updated E.A Solar Tax Handbook and Portal

On Wednesday 7^th July 2022, the East African Renewable Energy Associations with support from GOGLA and BDO launched the Updated East Africa Solar Taxation Handbook and Portal.

With the continuous changes in customs tax laws and regulations including exemptions on importation of specified solar components within the East African Community (EAC), the National Renewable Energy Associations (NREAs) sought it vital to keep up to date the “E.Africa Solar Taxation Handbook” to guide importers of solar products in East Africa.

It was also mandatory to have a living version of the Solar Tax Handbook susceptible to continuous updates in accordance with changes in tax laws within the East African Region. In this regard, the East African Regional Portal on Solar Taxation was created.

The portal is a collaboration between the Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA), the Kenya Renewable Energy Association (KEREA) and the Uganda National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Alliance (UNREEEA).
In addition to capturing changes in the tax laws within the EAC region, as well as the recent updates in the 2022 HS Codes as published by the World Customs Organization (WCO), the portal will help to;

1. Identify the most common exempted, non-exempted and zero-rated solar products and energy efficient appliances (core components, products, parts and accessories critical for delivering off-grid solar energy access) and,
2. Identify the applicable national/regional tariff codes.

The development of the portal was supported by GOGLA with funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Transforming Energy Access (TEA) program.