This archive report was first published on 2 July 2021.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has recorded a significant increase in tax compliance, with over 5.5 million taxpayers filing their tax returns for the year 2020 by the June 30, 2021 deadline.
This marks a 19 per cent growth compared to the previous year, with 1.1 million more taxpayers filing their returns.
According to KRA Commissioner General Githii Mburu, the growth shows positive progress in tax compliance, which is anticipated to further drive the country towards economic growth.
"The growth shows positive progress in tax compliance, a move that is anticipated to further drive the country towards economic growth," said Mburu in a statement yesterday.
Unlike previous years, there were no long queues on the last days of filing, attributed to the efficiency of the iTax platform, effective taxpayer sensitisation, and efficient taxpayer support services.
"This is attributed to the efficiency of the iTax platform, effective taxpayer sensitisation on the filing of returns and efficient taxpayer support services through the KRA Contact Centre and Tax Service Offices as well as the extension of working staff hours," said Mburu.
The authority has enhanced the iTax system to include an auto-populated return for taxpayers with employment income as the only source of income, with about 6.1 million taxpayers on the platform.
KRA projects to increase the number of active taxpayers by two million to 8.2 million by end of June 2023.
The penalty for late filing of annual returns for income tax is Sh2,000 or five per cent of tax due, whichever is higher.
