After successfully running a pilot which saw it collect Kshs 37.5 million, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on Monday unveiled an online auction.
KRA says the auction, which was previously a physical process, is part of its technological strategies aimed at streamlining tax administration procedures to enhance service delivery and improve revenue collection.
The process is aimed at boosting government efforts to decongest ports and ensure cargo is cleared in a timely and efficient manner.
Speaking during the Taxpayers’ Month Launch at Customs House, Mombasa, KRA Commissioner General Mr Humphrey Wattanga said the online auction will give taxpayers the opportunity to appreciate the transparency of the bidding process. He noted that the negotiation process will be faster and accessible to registered taxpayers countrywide and globally.
Mr Wattanga said that KRA will continue embracing technology in its quest to enhance tax compliance. He said the taxman has embraced a collaborative business model which incorporates taxpayers’ feedback. Among the technologies that showcase this is the Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS), rolled out in February 2023. A total of 95,732 VAT-registered taxpayers had onboarded eTIMs by the end of FY 2022/23. eTIMS has helped minimise VAT fraud and increased tax revenue.
He added that KRA has also integrated its systems with betting and gaming companies, with the aim of streamlining tax remittances from the sector and scaling up revenue collection. The programme has enabled KRA to make significant improvements in the sector’s tax administrative processes, with the daily visibility of the firms providing trends that inform compliance measures.
The Taxpayers’ Month is organised customarily to celebrate compliant taxpayers. The event is meant to honour the self-sacrifice of patriotic taxpayers and their contribution towards the country’s economic development. This year’s Taxpayers’ Month theme is “Tunawiri” which plainly translates to “Let us prosper”. The theme presents a uniting call to all Kenyans to fulfil their role in the prosperity of Kenya through the payment of taxes.
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