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President William Ruto hinted at taxing every Kenyan, 18 years and over, once they acquire a National Identification Card.
Speaking during the Kenya Revenue Authority, KRA, taxpayers’ event at Kenya International Convention Centre, KICC, on Friday, October 28, 2022, the president said the move was intended to expand revenue collection.
According to the head of state, every Kenyan above the age of 18 should obtain a registration pin from KRA designating them as taxpayers.7
He added that his government aims at raising KSh.3 trillion by the conclusion of the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2023, part of which includes expanding the tax base.
“Every Kenyan with an ID should have a PIN number. Technology and a considerate, fair, and professional mobilization will do the job quite well,” Ruto said.
Read: KRA Extends Deadline For Tax Invoice Management System Compliance
The President also tasked KRA with building on Safaricom’s M-Pesa success in order to achieve this goal.
“There are only 7 million people with KRA pin numbers. At the same time, in the same economy, Safaricom’s MPESA has 30 million registered customers, transacting billions daily,”
“The fact that this opportunity remains unclear to KRA demonstrates why radical changes are necessary. Safaricom, a telco, has registered more people than KRA, a powerful state organization. It is very clear that the magic lies in technology and strategy, not power and resources,” he said.
The total amount of taxes collected in the first two months of the 2022–2023 fiscal year was KSh.280.2 billion, up from KSh.247.8 billion the previous fiscal year. By the end of the fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2023, KRA had anticipated collecting Sh2.072 trillion overall.
Today’s event marked the conclusion of the annual taxpayers’ month, usually done in October, which is sponsored by the authority to recognize the contribution that law-abiding taxpayers make to the stability and expansion of the national economy.
Several taxpayers are honored during the ceremony for their tenacity, devotion, and compliance with KRA’s efforts to generate revenue.
Read: KRA To Celebrate, Award Tax-Compliant Individuals And Businesses
Some of the engagements during the taxpayers’ month include taxpayer education activities, tax summits, customer visits, and Corporate Social Responsibility activities meant to give back to society.
This year’s taxpayers month was driven by the theme ‘Leaving no one Behind’ to highlight the significance of shared nationhood and pulling together as a citizenry in determining the country’s destiny, including economic sovereignty through payment of taxes.
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