This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
December 12, 2019 - Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has set its sights on consolidated goods importers in a bid to boost tax collection.
Under the new rules, any consolidator must be registered in Kenya, have a physical store or office, and be tax compliant. This move aims to address complaints from small scale importers who have been using brokers based in foreign countries without their knowledge.
According to Commissioner General Githii Mburu, the taxman will upload a list of all registered consolidators and the countries they operate from, ensuring transparency and accountability.
The rules come at a time when President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive in May to address the concerns of small scale importers. The taxman had been holding their goods over tax issues, causing significant losses.
Since then, KRA has cleared over 500 containers and released them to their owners. The new rules aim to address the challenges faced by the taxman in imposing taxes on consolidated goods belonging to different individuals.
