The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has estimated a collection of over Ksh50 billion through the taxpayer amnesty programme which was unveiled on September 1, 2023 and will end on June 30, 2024.
Mr. Ouru Nyamori, Acting Chief Manager of the Domestic Taxes Department in the Western Region, appealed to all taxpayers to take advantage of the tax amnesty on interests and penalties that accrued up to December 31, 2022.
Nyamori, who represented the Western Regional Coordinator, Patience Njau, at a media roundtable held in Kisumu County stated that taxpayers who clear the outstanding principal taxes for the period under review will have their accrued penalties and interest vacated.
He appealed to Kenyans to fulfil their obligations by filing returns at the right time to automatically qualify for the waiver.
“Those with pending taxes need to clear the outstanding principal tax or visit our offices to negotiate for a payment plan to have their penalties and interest written off,” Nyamori assured.
“Do not wait until June next year to start the application process. You stand to enjoy a longer repayment period if you initiate a payment plan with KRA today. This will ensure you benefit maximally from the programme before the deadline expires,” he added.
He noted that taxpayers with pending principal taxes that will remain unpaid after the lapse of the amnesty period will be forced to pay the outstanding principal taxes and 100% of the corresponding penalties and interest.
Through the initiative, the taxman also seeks to help taxpayers clean up their tax ledgers and regularize their tax affairs to enhance tax compliance rates in the country.
Nyamori pointed out that the amnesty applies to all domestic taxes, including Value-Added Tax (VAT), pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), excise duty, withholding tax and corporate income tax.
However, the amnesty excludes interest and penalties imposed on tax avoidance and all penalties and interest relating to tax debts accrued for periods after December 31, 2022.
By Fredrick Odiero
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