KRA Urges Taxpayers to File 2017 Tax Returns Before Deadline

The filing season for 2017 income tax returns is in its final stretch, with less than a month left before the exercise officially comes to a close on 30th June, 2018.

So far, more than 1.3 Million individual income tax returns for both resident and non-resident taxpayers have been filed on the iTax platform between 1st January and 5th June, 2018. This is a great improvement compared to last year when less than 400,000 tax returns had been filed between January and April.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has urged taxpayers who are yet to submit their returns to do so as early as possible to avoid being caught up by the deadline.

According to KRA, early filing of returns helps one to avoid the penalty for late filing which is 20,000 shillings as stipulated in the Tax Procedures Act 2015.

One can be able to file returns free of charge at any of the 38 KRA service centres and the 51 KRA Huduma Centres across the country. One may as well visit KRA regional offices countrywide for assistance.

Taxpayers who encounter challenges in filing returns are encouraged to reach out through the KRA national contact centre for more assistance.

KRA is equipped to serve taxpayers optimally during this season. With this in view, the working hours at the contact centre have been extended. Services at the contact centre are now available from 6 AM to midnight, from Monday to Friday. The contact centre is also open during the weekends.

“In the spirit of building taxpayers’ trust as stipulated in our mission statement, KRA is committed to facilitating all taxpayers, especially during this crucial season. KRA is also in touch with employers to ensure that they issue P9 forms to their employees in good time to enable them file tax returns within the stipulated timelines,” read a statement from KRA.

In addition, with a view of ensuring that all taxpayers file their tax returns before the deadline, KRA has opted to start offering on-site filing assistance at various organizations and companies countrywide.