Kenya Revenue Authority has recorded an increase in the number of taxpayers filing their 2018 tax returns by 30 June, surpassing 3.6 million taxpayers, compared to 3.2 million, who filed during a similar period last year.
In a statement on Monday, Deputy Commissioner in charge of marketing and communication, Grace Wandera said the number of citizens filing their returns increased by more than 400,000.
“The growth in the numbers show positive progress in tax compliance, a move that will eventually drive the country towards economic self-reliance,” she said.
KRA also said it had witnessed a significant improvement in the reduction of long queues which used to be the order of the day as the deadline for filing returns.
“This year, as the deadline approached KRA service centers did not experience long queues as have been observed during the previous years.”
The improvement has been attributed to the efficiency of the i-Tax platform and increased awareness campaign undertaken by the authority encouraging early filing of returns.
On-sight assistance extended to both individuals and organizations countrywide has also been cited as a contributing factor.
Individuals who fail to file their annual returns for income tax will be charged a penalty fee of KSh2,000 or 5% of tax due, whichever is higher, while a non-individual income tax payer attracts Sh20,000 or 5% of tax due.
