You now have until Sunday midnight to file your tax returns - KRA
Models line up in a mock queue on Mombasa Road to demonstrate the frustration of filing tax returns manually during the launch of KRA’s online platform called iTax. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU |
What you need to know:
- "It is true there are issues to do with speed which are related to the stare of Internet connectivity in Kenya and the government is already investing in broadband services across the country. We made the system much more user-friendly compared with last year.
- The commissioner-general said the taxman will complete all the pending tax refunds by the first quarter of this financial year (October).
You now have until midnight Sunday to file your tax returns if you want to avoid penalties.
The Kenya Revenue Authority, in a statement to the media Thursday evening, extended the deadline for filling tax returns until July 5.
Commissioner-General John Njiraini had on Wednesday told Citizen TV that the deadline had been extended to Friday, but the taxman again decided to further extend the deadline to rope in as many Kenyans as possible.
WELCOME RELIEF
The extension comes as a welcome relief to many Kenyans who failed to meet the June 30 deadline.
Mr Njiraini said his agency would complete all the pending tax refunds by the first quarter of this financial year (October).
Many people had blamed their failure to file their returns on time on problems with the iTax system, an issue Mr Njiraini acknowledged, citing challenges with Kenya's Internet connections.
"It is true there are issues to do with speed, which are related to the stare of Internet connectivity in Kenya, and the government is already investing in broadband services across the country. We made the system much more user-friendly compared with last year.
The system failed to generate passwords for many taxpayers who had either forgotten their passwords or were registering anew.
The iTax system has been lauded for simplifying tax returns as the taxman, whose revenue target is set at Sh1.358 trillion, passed the trillion mark by the close of the 2014/2015 financial year.
