President Uhuru Kenyatta has put on notice high net worth
individuals who evade tax, directing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)
to employ technology to fish out those not paying their dues to the
State.
Mr Kenyatta ordered the taxman to link its iTax
system to the proposed National Integrated Identity Management System
that will collect citizen biometric data like ear, eye and voice
patterns along with satellite details of their homes.
""High
net worth individuals whose lifestyles are not reflective of the taxes
they pay must be compelled to demonstrate the source of their wealth and
to contribute their share of taxes accordingly. Towards this end, the
use of technology is a necessity...KRA must incorporate cutting edge
technology," he said in a speech during KRA's 2018 Taxpayers’ Day today.
Under the plan contained in proposed amendments to the
Registration of Persons Act of 2015 under the Statute Law (Miscellaneous
Amendments) Bill 2018, the Interior ministry will require Kenyans to
provide their personal data in order to centrally manage identification
documents.
Ahead of the proposed new electronic system,
it was revealed in August that the government will conduct a fresh mass
registration of people starting this year that will capture the
biometric data.
Lifestyle audits
While
speaking at the Times Tower in the city centre Wednesday, the president
also revisited the matter of lifestyle audits for KRA staff saying it
will help weed out rogue employees.
Mr Kenyatta had previously ordered a similar audit at KRA in 2015.
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