Over 2.5 Million Kenyans File Tax Returns Ahead of June 30 Deadline
- The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has said that 2.5 million taxpayers have filed their returns ahead of the June 30 deadline
- The number represents taxpayers who had filed their returns by Monday, May 26
- KRA expects all taxpayers in Kenya to file their returns; failure to do so attracts various penalties as prescribed by law
Bonface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has over 10 years of experience in finance, economics, business, markets, and aviation, offering insights into Kenyan and global trends.
Over 2.5 million Kenyan taxpayers have filed their returns with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) ahead of the June 30 deadline.
Source: UGC
The 2.5 million taxpayers represent 12% of the total number of taxpayers who have filed their returns to date, considering that KRA has 20 million active taxpayers on its database.
This means 17.5 million taxpayers are yet to file their returns, assuming the 20 million figure is the target for all taxpayers expected to file their returns this year.
"2.5 million taxpayers had filed their returns as of Monday, May 26. Kenyans must know that the deadline is prescribed by law, and this cannot be changed unless the law is amended," said a top source at KRA in response to queries from TUKO.co.ke on Thursday, May 29.
Penalties for failing to file a tax return
Failing to file a tax return is an offence punishable by law.
Under the existing rules, failure to meet tax filing deadlines is a crime and attracts a fine of KSh 2,000 or 5% of the individual tax bill, whichever is higher.
Companies, on the other hand, are expected to pay a KSh 10,000 penalty or 5% of the tax payable in the year the return is filed, whichever is higher.
What is KRA doing to allow more Kenyans to file returns?
To allow more Kenyans to file their tax returns, KRA has extended its working hours at its service centres and select Huduma Centres.
Under the new working hours, KRA’s tax services will operate from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday. They will also operate on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm and remain closed on Sundays.
KRA also identified select Huduma Centres that will operate from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, and be closed on weekends.
The rest of the Huduma Centres will operate from 8 am to 5 pm and will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
KRA missed its revenue collection target in the 10 months to April 2024 by KSh 77 billion.
Tax collection by KRA hit KSh 2.112 trillion as of April 30, 2024, against a target of KSh 2.189 trillion.
The taxman has not been meeting its tax targets in the last few years, a move that has forced it to enhance compliance rates among Kenyans.
In Kenya, big firms have been making billions of shillings in profit, and they either deliberately refuse to pay tax or understate their earnings.
Source: Twitter
KRA announces several supervisor roles
On Tuesday, May 27, KRA announced several supervisory job opportunities across its various departments.
Candidates interested in these roles were told to submit their applications by June 16, 2025.
KRA warned that no fee will be charged at any stage of the recruitment process, offering major relief to applicants.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
