In a bid to make tax services accessible to small businesses the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has rolled out a USSD that will enable taxpayers to access tax services without internet connectivity.
KRA acknowledges that not every taxpayer in the country has access to digital devices, stable internet and digital literacy to use the internet-based platforms like iTx or eTIMS.
“Not every taxpayer has a smartphone, stable internet or digital literacy required to interact with KRA platforms such as iTax or eTIMS,” George Obell, the Acting Commissioner for Micro and Small Taxpayers said.
“By dialling *222# and selecting Option 5 for KRA services, taxpayers can now retrieve or verify their pins and access other essential services from any phone,” he added.
Additionally, KRA has developed a WhatsApp chatbot that smartphone users can interact with to get instructions on how to pay taxes.
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For years filing of tax has been a headache to Kenyans, especially those who lack digital literacy skills or smartphones. This has forced taxpayers to rely on cybercafes operators to help them to file returns, which results in sharing private details including ID numbers, phone numbers, KRA PIN, emails and passwords to strangers thus risking identity theft.
In Kenya there are nearly 22 million taxpayers with only 136 service points. This means the majority of taxpayers don’t get direct assistance from KRA officials making tax compliance an uphill task.
The taxman is planning to recruit the first 10,000 agents countrywide to provide basic tax services, enabling Kenyans to pay taxes with ease.
“These agents will provide basic services such as registration, tax filing and payments. This is also an opportunity for Kenyans to earn commissions while helping fellow citizens meet their tax obligations,” Obell said.
He added that KRA will begin tax education to train taxpayers. The move will enable Kenyans to avoid common tax filing pitfalls.
