Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has commemorated the International Customs Day to appreciate customs and administrators in Kenya.
The annual event themed ‘Nurturing the Next generation ,promoting culture of knowledge sharing and professional pride in customs’, acknowledged the hard work of all KRA administrators and stakeholders who have been playing a big role in the critical sector of taxation in Kenya.
Speaking at the event, KRA Commissioner General Githii Mburu appreciated the KRA customs officers for the good work they are doing by ensuring that local trade management is efficient and secure from threats caused by organized crime, smugglers, international commercial fraudsters and terrorists.
Mburu added that this has contributed to the success of KRA after collecting a national revenue of Sh2.03 Trillion. He stated that Customs on the troll collected Sh728.5billion surpassing its target of Sh702.5billion representing a growth of 16.66 percent.
“The good trend has been recorded in the first half of the financial year 2022-2023,” he noted, adding that a target of Sh387 billion was collected from the year’s target of Sh381.6 billion.
Further, he recommended the government to embark on tax administrative policy reforms including the enhancement of data analytics by custom officials to improve revenue collection control and compliance.
Mburu thanked Kenyans for their commitment to providing and adapting to technology which has resulted in the efficiency of custom administrations in the country. “This will ensure that our borders are secure, the competitive environment is conducive and the society is protected,” he maintained.
KRA, through customs, has been able to reduce verification rates and facilitate protection of the economic interest in the domestic industry by investing and focusing especially on the customs officials for the work to move smoothly.
By Juliet Njoki and maslah Bishar
