Filing tax returns need not be a nightmare

It’s 6pm and I am still at my desk in Times Tower, Nairobi, going through a pile of emails, trying to assist people who have tax issues.

I am not a technical tax expert, but I know my way around tax issues by virtue of working at the Kenya Revenue Authority.

As I pen this piece, it is roughly 10 days to the deadline for filing annual returns, which is June 30.

FINANCIAL YEAR

I am 30 minutes late for my evening engagements, but I have to make sure that I respond to these tax queries or get help for those in need.

It is again that time of the year when many remember that they know someone at the KRA to assist them in filing their returns.

As the financial year comes to an end, the number of requests coming through grows, hence my crazy working hours.

My phone rings, breaking the silence in my office, I pick it up and the caller says: “Hi Grace! You are so lost; quick question, how do I apply for a tax compliance certificate (TCC)?”

iTAX
There is some awkward silence from my end, followed by a laugh and then the response: “Dorsi, indeed, you are lost, too. Okay, now you first have to file your annual returns via iTax before you can apply for a TCC through iTax.”

That quite doesn’t answer her question, so she says she is around Times Towers and would like to come by.

I grant her a pass and direct her to the contact centre that is still open and voila, she gets help.

Come on, folks, amidst all the rush to beat the deadline, remember that all the iTax service centres and Huduma Centres are now working longer hours.

FILE BEFORE DEADLINE

The contact centre at the KRA headquarters is also open beyond working hours.

But let me say that Kenyans, indeed, have an opportunity to file their returns as early as January.

I know someone is reading this with her eyes wide open and mouth agape.

Yes, you can file your returns in January, and in the comfort of your home through iTax.

But there are those who just love the adrenalin rush of filing their returns two or one week to the deadline.

DEVELOPMENT

Remember, there is a penalty awaiting you if you fail to file your returns. It is a whopping Sh20,000.

There are those who will say they “know someone at KRA so I can do away with the penalty even after failing to file my returns”.

If you are this kind of person, you should know that even KRA employees file their returns.

It’s an obligation of all the citizens to pay taxes and the infrastructural developments all over Kenya are a good justification.

KENYA'S GROWTH

All these good things are paid for from tax revenue.

They include the Outer Ring Road now under reconstruction in Nairobi, the Thika Superhighway, and there are many others in the pipeline.

All the good amenities are paid for by the citizens, with the KRA only playing the role of collecting the taxes citizens pay to grow the economy.

I feel the ambience of the city during my morning jogs.

I often draw my breath deep as I enjoy the run despite the nippy wind that whistles through the gardens that are my common jogging grounds.

AVAILABLE SERVICES
My heart pounds with a feeling of victory, knowing so well that a portion of my hard-earned money has been used to build the tarmac that I jog on, and to manage the scenery that I enjoy and the green vegetation that is fast becoming so rare in some residential areas of Nairobi.

Fellow Kenyans, it is that time of the year again, arise now and file your returns!

Don’t wait to be part of the long queues on June 30.

Huduma Centres are open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm and Saturday, 8am to 1pm.

ITax support centres are open Monday to Friday at 7am to 9pm and Saturdays 8am to 1pm.

The KRA contact centre at Times Tower is open Mondays to Fridays 6am to midnight and throughout the weekends, from 9am to 4pm.

Ms Wandera is the Deputy Commissioner, Marketing and Communication at KRA Email:[email protected]