In a groundbreaking move aimed at revolutionising tax collection, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has introduced the electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS), mandating all businesses to electronically generate and transmit their invoices. This initiative includes businesses in the informal sector and small businesses, emphasising
Kenyan commercial banks have started implementing the Common Reporting Standards (CRS), a tax procedures regulation of 2023. This regulation requires all Kenyan banks, trusts, and other financial institutions to report and share information about foreign account holders with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) as the
In the dynamic landscape of taxation, businesses often find themselves grappling with complex tax compliance requirements. In response to this challenge, tax authorities around the world have introduced voluntary tax disclosure programmes (VTDPs) to incentivise taxpayers to come clean about previously undisclosed tax liabilities. These
For a country to attain its developmental goals, it has to generate revenue to fund these goals. A significant portion of a country’s revenue is generated through taxation. Despite the crucial role taxation plays in a country, issues of non-compliance persist and remain a pressing
In the wake of economic challenges and declining domestic revenues, the National Treasury has unveiled an ambitious Medium-Term Revenue Strategy (MTRS) that promises to reshape the country’s tax landscape. The MTRS not only seeks to enhance revenue administration efficiency but also aims to foster economic
The government’s spending on various initiatives ranging from affordable housing, healthcare, and support for farmers and small businesses, will be footed by taxpayers following approval of the budget and the Finance Act of 2023. This outcome stems from the government’s implementation of comprehensive tax measures
The Finance Bill, 2023 which has got many tongues wagging across the country was tabled before the National Assembly on Thursday, May 4, 2023, by the National Treasury. The Bill proposes an array of tax changes geared towards expanding the tax base and raising revenue
The number of Kenyans using multiple accounts fell further to 48.2 percent last year, down from 62 percent in 2021 as customers cut back on the costs associated with more banking relationships. A Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) customer satisfaction survey found that 48.2 percent of
Prices for petroleum products are set to go up after the major oil producers announced plans to cut their production up to 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of 2023. Saudi Arabia announced the biggest cut among Organization of the Petroleum
Kenya President Ruto saves Airtel Kenya, Amazon from forced stake sale Airtel Kenya has been saved from forcibly selling a third of its stake to local investors after US tech giant Amazon successfully lobbied President William Ruto to drop the foreign ownership rules as a
In a bid to ease pressure on the shilling currently depreciating in value against the dollar, the government has adopted a government-to-government deal on oil importation. In a statement, Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Davis Chirchir said the government went into an agreement with
Kenya Taxpayers’ burden of keeping Kenya Kwanza CASs in office Kenyan taxpayers will spend more than half a billion shillings annually on salaries and benefits for the 50 Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) whose names were forwarded to Parliament for approval on Thursday, putting more strain
China Square is a retail supermarket at Unicity Mall off Thika Superhighway and is owned by Kenyatta University. The mall was conceived as a project to bring in funds to the university but since its opening in 2016 has not attracted a lot of footprint
The Kenya Revenue Authority on Thursday, 23rd February 2023 communicated the new management team after the resignation of Githii Mburu. In addition to his departure, other Commissioners were replaced. These include; Lilian Nyawanda (Commissioner, of Customs and Border Control), Terra Saidimu (Commissioner, Intelligence & Strategic
When the fourth president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, assented to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Act, 2013 early on in his first term, he may never have envisioned the controversy that was ahead. A decade later, the NSSF Act 2013 is yet to be
Kenya EPRA reveals second plan to increase cost of power The Water Resources and Management Authority (WARMA) is the latest State entity to seek a bigger pie of the electricity bills in what looks set to further increase the cost of power. WARMA has applied
Section 12D of the Income Tax Act was introduced via the Finance Act of 2020 which sought to impose a minimum tax of 1% on gross turnover. The tax rate was introduced to ensure that everyone, regardless of whether they make a profit or loss,
Bill, 2023 At the core of national conversation lately is a proposed legislation seeking to govern the process of privatising state-owned companies and entities. The Privatisation Bill, 2023, which is at the public participation stage, seeks to streamline the regulatory and institutional framework for the
Taxation in Kenya has taken a political twist in a week that saw President William Ruto train his guns on former President Uhuru Kenyatta and businesses associated with his family. Speaking a day after Azimio leader Raila Odinga held a rally at Jacaranda grounds, Ruto
As the world marks Data Privacy Day on 28th January 2023, Kenya has been busy this week with a series of activities organized by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to commemorate the day. The week-long events will culminate in a two-day Data
Mr Ibrahim is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Sunculture Kenya Limited, a climate, solar, agriculture, food systems and security, water, financing and Internet of Things firm. He is also an advisor to Ezra Venture Studio, a team and network of company builders and
Mr Kamiru is currently the Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance, at Jubilee Allianz General Insurance Limited. He is a Finance Management and Risk Management professional with over 27 years of demonstrated leadership and management experience in the Kenyan insurance industry. Mr Kamiru also has
Dr Too is the Director, Graduate Programs (LLM and LLD) at the Strathmore University Law School. She has also previously served as the Dean, Kabarak University Law School. In social service, Dr Too is the Chairperson of Kipteris Girls High School Board of Management. She
In the last few years, the global economy has been trying to cope with multiple shocks and economic uncertainties. This has been elicited by the Covid-19 pandemic, political instability, climate change induced shocks and international conflicts. These effects may not end soon and have provided
The global economy has gone digital. This has increased the issue of tax avoidance and tax equity and sparked an increase in digital taxes worldwide, therefore increasing the number of challenges to trade law. Kenya is one of the nations that have rolled out a
In the financial year 2022/23, Kenya government revenues are projected to increase to Ksh 2.4 trillion (17% of GDP), an increase from the Ksh 2.06 trillion (16.3 percent of GDP) collected in the year ended June 2022. This is slightly above the developing country’s average
By Grace Wandera Once again, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is planning to mark the month-long taxpayers’ celebrations in the traditional month of October. A look at this year’s theme “Leaving no one behind” provokes some interesting thoughts. Given that the payment of taxes is
The only feasible way to get money to pay for government expenditure on the products and services that most of us need is through taxes. However, establishing an effective and fair tax system is far from easy, especially for developing nations that seek to integrate
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced the establishment of an advanced forensic laboratory that will provide the authority the capability to access financial data from taxpayers’ computers and mobile phones, in a bid to detect tax evasion and to reduce financial fraud. The Kenyan
The Tax Talk Series hosted by the Kenya Revenue Authority held a webinar on April 8, 2022, to discuss the post budget effects on taxes. The session which lasted for close to an hour was moderated by Nixon Omondi – Manager, Digital Economy, Tax Office.
By Brian Kuira Recent media reports that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) would train its eyes on taxpayers who display luxurious lifestyles on social media but under-declare their income sparked a heated debate among Kenyans. A section of Kenyans termed the move a misplaced priority.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has recorded an above-target revenue performance in the first half of the Financial Year 2021/2022 after collecting KShs. 976.659 billion against a target of KShs. 929.127 billion thanks to higher tax compliance. Patriotic taxpayers keen on facilitating national development allowed
On January 1, 2022, several key tax amendments contained in the Finance Act, 2021 (the Act) took effect. We take a look at these changes and the likely impact on taxpayers. Requirement for multinational enterprises to file returns on activities in other jurisdictions An ultimate
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has welcomed the highest number of decorations ever accorded to its staff members; by the State at the recent 58th Jamhuri Day Celebrations. In recognition of the Tax Administration Authority’s exemplary performance in revenue mobilisation, KRA officers received a total of
KRA ASSURES ON THE INCLUSIVE FRAMEWORK ON BASE EROSION AND PROFIT SHIFTING The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has allayed fears on the possible loss of revenue from multinational technology firms following the signing of an international Inclusive Framework to reform international tax rules. The fears
Kenya was the leading performer in Africa in the recently concluded 2021 Tokyo Olympic games having won four golds, four silvers and two bronze that further jolted the country to 19th on the global medal standings. As the Olympic games came to a close, an
Dr Mohamed Omar – KRA Commissioner – Strategy, Innovation and Risk Management Tax systems go through changes over time, as economies and societies equally evolve. Tax administration in Kenya has been going through reforms, most notably over the last ten years when the intentional use
More than 5.5 million taxpayers filed their tax returns for the year 2020 as the filing period officially closed at midnight on Wednesday 30th June 2021. This means that 1.1 million more taxpayers turned out to file their returns this year compared to the 4.4
The story of sorghum based beer in Kenya illustrates the importance of government policy for the development of smallholder value chains. This has been evidenced by the changes in tax policy for sorghum based beer which in the recent past has been quite successful owing
By Rispah Simiyu Worldwide, a good tax compliance score is a fundamental aspect for the smooth running of any business or any profession. Contrary to popular belief, tax compliance is not entirely defined by payment of taxes only. Filing of tax returns is equally an
This Plan is the eighth in the life cycle of the Authority and runs under the Theme: Revenue Mobilization through tax simplification, technology-driven compliance and Tax Base expansion. In this Plan, the Vision remains to be ‘A globally trusted revenue agency facilitating tax and customs
TAX AMENDMENTS HIGHLIGHTS Introduction: The Finance Bill, 2021 was published on 05th May 2021. The reason for publishing the Bill early, as was the case in 2020, was to comply with the ruling by Justice Winfrida Okwany referencing Petition Number 253 of 2018 where the
Earlier this week, the High Court of Kenya vide a ruling in the Constitutional Petition No. E005 of 2021, a case of Stanley Waweru & 3 others (the Petitioners) V National Assembly, the Commissioner General, Kenya Revenue Authority and the Attorney General (the Respondents), paused
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has announced two substantive Commissioners’ appointment as part of an ongoing leadership capacity enhancement programme. KRA’s Commissioner General Githii Mburu CBS, in a media communiqué, confirmed that the Board has appointed Ms. Lilian Anyango Nyawanda as Commissioner of Customs and
The Senate Standing Committee on Information, Communication and Technology held a meeting this week with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya ICT Action Network to deliberate on emerging legislative and policy gaps in the ICT Sector. Key Challenges The presentation from the Sector
Taxing businesses on profits as
it has always been means
that loss making entities
comfortably escape the
taxman’s noose. Bear
in mind that the onus of
determining profits or losses
rests on the taxpayer.
Kenya’s latest form of
taxation is the Digital Service
Tax (DST) which came into force
on 1st January 2021. It imposes a
1.5% tax on the gross transaction
value of services provided on
digital platforms operating within
the “digital-market place” which
has been defined in the VAT Act
as “a platform that enables the
direct interaction between buyers
and sellers of goods and services
through electronic means”.
Kenya has greatly been affected by the outbreak of Covid-19 that was subsequently declared a global Pandemic. Businesses had to minimize their activities due to the Pandemic. This led to job cuts, unpaid leave and redundancies as profitable entities moved into losses. Millions of Kenyans
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Kenya Government has reiterated its commitment in implementing international standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes as part of a national effort to curb tax evasion and illicit financial flows. Speaking at the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and
Per statistics by the World Bank, Kenya is set for a relatively short setback from COVID-19 with a s 4 percentage-point dip in growth this year, and 5.2 percent growth returning in 2021. This is still a permanent loss of 5 percent of GDP over
The main objective of the occasion was to recognize taxpayers from various sectors of the economy for their contribution towards nation-building. This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme; “Enhancing Tax Administration for Economic Sustainability’’ similar to the Tax Summit. During the meeting, the Commissioner
The 6th Annual Tax Summit that took place on the 4th and 5th of November, 2020, sought to advance conversations based on the four strategic goals that guide its 7th Strategic Plan by driving public and international participation in discussions geared towards providing solutions for enhancing
The commendable progress made so far can only mean one thing: the days for tax
evasion perpetrators are continually diminishing. Through such collaborations, the
country is now better equipped to emancipate tax revenues trapped in the intricate
web of tax evasion schemes.
National Treasury has accepted to increase the monthly
VAT refunds allocation from Ksh. 1.2 Billion to Ksh. 1.7
Billion. This has greatly contributed to the liquidity and
availability of capital which has been instrumental in
the continuity of business operations.
CRM is a state-of-the-art system which has revolutionised how KRA engages with taxpayers virtually. Diversification of the virtual customer assistance platforms is informed by the need to take care of the equally diversified base of taxpayer
The Kenya Revenue Authority published a notice informing manufacturers and importers of excisable goods and members of the public that the Commissioner General will adjust the rates of excise duty using the average inflation rate for the financial year 2019/2020, as determined by the Kenya
By Stephen Kyande
Kenya is one of the jurisdictions in the world that operate a self-assessment tax administration
regime. Primarily, this kind of regime is purely based on trust where the taxman trusts that the
declarations of income made by taxpayers are a true reflection of the income generated. At a
secondary level, the taxman may issue an assessment as well as other remedial measures
stipulated in the law in case there is suspicion of under-declaration of income by a given
taxpayer.
By Stephen Kyande High tax compliance levels are the backbone of enhanced revenue mobilisation and collection in any jurisdiction. As such, tax administrators employ varied strategies in order achieve high compliance levels. One such strategy is provision of tax amnesty windows. Under tax amnesties, taxmen
In a quiet revolution against the traditional practice of enforcement, taxmen globally are now showing serious interest in finding ways to solve business disputes without going to trial. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has not been left behind in this revolution and is indeed among the
The Kenya Revenue Authority held a Stakeholder Engagement on Thursday, August 13, 2020 to create awareness of the provisions of the Finance Act 2020.
A digital marketplace was defined in the Finance Act of 2019 as a platform that enables the direct interaction between buyers and sellers of goods and services through electronic means. This definition covers all types of marketplaces however the challenge is that in some instances despite buyers and sellers meeting through a particular platform no value is transferred for goods and services through the platform an example here is a Facebook page or group where buyers and sellers meet but payments are made through private arrangements. However, Facebook would be liable to pay digital services tax for advertising revenue it generates or if payments for goods and services were made within the platform.