KRA doesn't know how much tax is due from betting, MPs told
John Njiraini (right), the Kenya Revenue Authority's commissioner general, with Benson Korongo, the government department's commissioner for domestic taxes, at its Times Tower headquarters in Nairobi on July 27, 2016. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Benson Korongo, the Kenya Revenue Authority's commissioner in charge of domestic taxes, appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and called for the formation of a task force to establish taxation measures for the gambling companies.
- The committee's chair David Were, however, directed Mr Korongo, to have the KRA director-general John Njiraini appear before the team.
The taxman does not know how much tax is due to the government from the multi-billion-shilling betting sector and huge profits made by companies are unaccounted for, Members of Parliament (Mps) heard on Tuesday.
Benson Korongo, the Kenya Revenue Authority's commissioner in charge of domestic taxes, appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and called for the formation of a task force to establish taxation measures for the gambling companies.
“This is one of the most complex and emerging sectors of the Kenyan economy. An inter-agency taskforce is highly recommended to study the operations of the sector...with the objective of recommending appropriate regulatory and taxation regime for the players,” said a statement by Mr Korongo he had intended to make before the committee.
Committee chair David Were (Matungulu MP), however, directed Mr Korongo, to have John Njiraini, the commissioner general of the KRA, appear before the team.
MPs wondered why Mr Njiraini, who had been invited to appear before the committee to shed light on taxation of betting companies, preferred to send his commissioners, and yet the invitation letter had been clear he was to appear before them.
