Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has unveiled the Annual Taxpayer’s Month, to celebrate compliant taxpayers for their patriotic act of dutifully remitting their taxes.
The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for National Treasury and Planning, Ukur Yatani, said this year’s celebration is significant to KRA for having managed to meet and surpass the Financial Year 2020/21 revenue target after eight years wait.
During the Financial Year 2020/2021, KRA posted a revenue performance of Sh1.669.2 trillion, against a target of Sh1.652.4 trillion.
The CS made the remarks, yesterday, in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for National Treasury and Planning, Nelson Gaichuhie, during the launch of the 2021 Taxpayers’ Month at KRA Headquarters at Times Towers, Nairobi.
This year’s Taxpayers Month is driven by the theme ‘Pamoja Twaweza’, which highlights the collective role and contribution of both taxpayers and KRA towards the current socio-economic environment.
During this month of October 2021, KRA will engage in various activities which include, taxpayer appreciation visits, taxpayer education, annual tax summit and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
“The implementation of KRA automation processes, especially during the Covid-19 season, enabled the Authority to improve taxpayers’ services and subsequently collect more revenue for the Country,” said Yatani.
He said through the Tax Base Expansion strategy, the government is focusing on bringing into the tax net 2 (two) million taxpayers by the end of the Financial Year 2023/2024, in addition to the current number of active taxpayers, which stands at 6.1 million.
The CS disclosed that in the just ended Financial Year 2020/2021, all customs related inquiries and applications were processed online, noting that the initiative made tax compliance convenient and helped the country mobilize more revenue.
The KRA Board Chairman, Dr. Francis Muthaura, noted that by August 2021, the Voluntary Tax Disclosure Program received 325 applications, with a revenue implication of Sh. 3.387 billion.
“This is a promising indication, as seen through the large numbers enrolling and filing their returns through the iTax platform, which at the close of the tax return filing period had clocked 6.1 million taxpayers,” said Muthaura.
Speaking at the event, KRA Commissioner General, Mr Githii Mburu, said KRA will continue the journey of simplifying tax procedures, through the use of technology, including the enhancement of the iTax portal and the M-service mobile application.
He said KRA has enhanced trade facilitation in Kenya and across borders through, better technology, effective refunds management processes and multi-agency collaborations.
By Hamdi Mohamud
