Local News
KRA Offices To remain Open Until Sunday
KRA offices countrywide will be open from 7 am to 9 pm until Sunday to accommodate last-minute rush in filling the returns.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) offices will remain open until Sunday 30th June 2019, the taxman said in a statement on Thursday.
This is to enable more Kenyan file their income tax returns , ahead of the June 30 deadline.
The iTax Support Centres — which provide guidance to those making returns electronically — will open 7am to 9pm from Thursday all the way up to Sunday. Additionally, Huduma Canters, will also operate from 6:00am-12:00 midnight to serve workers who were locked out by the initial eight-hour shift.
However, customs offices supporting port operations will be open for 24 hours to net tax cheats and grow the income tax segment as the KRA struggles to meet its collection targets.
“The offices comprises all Customs offices including Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and iTax Service Centers countrywide to facilitate taxpayers to pay and file their 2018 and other prior annual tax returns,” read the statement in part.
By June 23, only 2.7m Kenyans had filled their tax returns against a target of four million taxpayers. This makes only 2/3 compliance.
Failure to file KRA tax returns by 30th June exposes the 1.3 million individuals and companies to fines.
According to the Finance Act 2018, late filing of tax returns attracts a penalty of 5% of the tax due or Ksh 2,000 for individuals and Ksh 10,000 for companies. Late payments of taxes also leads to a penalty of 20% of the outstanding tax.
Failing to file returns with the taxman leads to compliance issues which may see individuals barred from accessing various government services including tenders.
