President Ruto announces end to tax waivers
President William Ruto has announced that there will be no more tax waivers for anyone in Kenya, including himself.
In a speech at the Bomet Green Stadium, the President stated that he will put an end to the culture of tax waivers and emphasized the importance of paying taxes as a way to develop the country.
“We all must pay taxes, including myself,” President Ruto said.
“Tax waivers won’t be an option anymore. The only way to use our resources to develop Kenya is to pay your taxes,” he added.
The President’s announcement comes as the Kenyan government looks to increase revenue in order to fund development projects and improve public services.
The move could see an end to instances where Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) occasionally grants waivers when taxpayers, for one reason or another, find themselves in situations where they are unable to comply with the strict tax filing deadlines.
If a taxpayer files their tax return either late or not at all, KRA typically fines them. These penalties continue to accumulate interest until they are paid.
In these situations, a taxpayer ordinarily asks to have the fines and interest rates waived. To do this, the affected person usually submits an application to the commissioner. However, all waiver requests must be completely filled out and contain all required supplementary information and supporting materials.
However, President Ruto did not specify when this would go into effect.