President William Ruto has announced that no more tax breaks will be granted to Kenyans, including himself.
In a speech at Bomet Green Stadium, President Ruto stated that he will end the culture of tax breaks and emphasised the importance of paying taxes as a means of developing the country.
“This waiver matter is a difficult one. With all these development initiatives it will be difficult to finance our programs if we take that route,” Ruto stated.
“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 announcement by the President comes as the Kenyan government seeks to increase revenue to fund development projects and improve public services.
The move could put an end to instances where the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) grants waivers when taxpayers, for one reason or another, find themselves unable to meet the strict tax filing deadlines.
KRA typically fines taxpayers who file their tax returns late or not at all. These penalties continue to accrue interest until paid in full.
In these cases, a taxpayer will typically request that the fines and interest rates be waived. To do so, the affected person typically files an application with the commissioner. All waiver requests, however, must be completely filled out and include all necessary supplementary information and supporting materials.
President Ruto, however, did not specify when this would take effect.
