Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo on Tuesday, 20 February 2024 addressed concerns about increased taxation at a Parliamentary Group meeting chaired by President William Ruto in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
PS Kiptoo attributed the public uproar to a lack of education and awareness on taxation among Kenyans. He emphasized that Kenya has a favorable tax rate compared to other nations, suggesting that citizens are resistant to remitting their dues due to a lack of motivation. The PS drew a parallel between paying taxes and the frequent harambees held nationwide, implying that they reflect people’s financial capacity.
Encouraging a shift in mindset, the PS urged Kenyans to channel the same enthusiasm used for harambees towards tax payments. He questioned the struggle to pay taxes when contributions to harambees are willingly made every weekend.
Highlighting the issue of compliance, the PS expressed concern about the low adherence to the government’s tax demands. Despite 20 million Kenyans being registered with the Kenya Revenue Authority, only 8.5 million are active and yet, not all dully pay taxes. The PS called for efforts to increase the tax bracket and ensure registered individuals become compliant for the government to effectively raise revenue.