NAIROBI: As of May 2015, there are a total of 1.3 million registered iTax system users in Kenya.
And the number is set to grow. According Kenya Revenue Authority, the number is set to increase with an estimated sixty thousand new users coming on board every month.
The system which gives taxpayers the luxury of filing returns from the comfort of their homes or offices at any hour of day or night was launched late 2013 in a bid to increase efficiency and ensure better compliance with tax laws.
It has also become useful in designing and implementing effective compliance strategies.
“The Authority is leveraging on the iTax system to improve client service and promote voluntary compliance,” said KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini. The system has also offered opportunities to people outside KRA.
KRA has partnered with appointed licensed and trained intermediary agents who assist taxpayers register and file their returns through the iTax system. Such include Cyber Cafes operators who have been supporting taxpayers as they register on iTax at a fee. They have also received trainings from KRA which has been training interested Cyber Café owners and interested parties since last year.
KRA has also been running sensitization programmes through tax education programmes being done countrywide.
In support of the system, KRA set up six iTax Support Centres. It also has stations in sixteen Huduma Centres countrywide.
This is in an effort to ensure that members of the public fill their taxes before the June 30 deadline.
The iTax System is however not mandatory. Taxpayers experiencing challenges in accessing the online services while filling their returns can do it manually.
