Shock as KRA slaps Sh91 million tax bill on Lamu miraa traders

Jane Mugambi  Shock as KRA slaps Sh91 million tax bill on Lamu miraa traders. Lamu miraa dealers have cried foul after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) gave them a five year Sh91 million tax bill.
 Speaking on Wednesday at Mokowe Jetty, the traders expressed concern that the county’s
KRA officials were high handedness in their pursuit of taxes. Halima Abdi, a Miraa trader stated that KRA arrived at the figure after she refused to offer a bribe to KRA officials to reduce the tax bill. “KRA is saying that we are running a lucrative business which is not the case as our profit margins are nowhere close to their projections,” she said. She further stated that they risked more losses due to “slow KRA inspections” of their perishable produce. She lamented that KRA tax bill was too high and if it remains so, their business was likely to shut down due to lack of profitability. KRA Lamu station head Peter Muriithi yesterday insisted that the authority was fair in its assessment of the Lamu Miraa tax. “These business people ferry their miraa across Lamu, to Kiunga and then to Somalia where they make a killing and that is why they have been given the Sh91 million tax bill,” Muriithi said. He said his officers had been forthright and denied claims that some of them (officers) demanded for bribes. “No customs official would dare ask for a bribe considering the 'heat' they’ve seen their colleagues subjected to in the past two months,” he said. He said that there were also plans to sensitise the miraa business people whom he said, have had a free reign on the trade without paying taxes. “It is important for all citizens and especially business people to be aware that tax evasion is a crime and it is in their best interest to pay taxes if they want to get better government services,” the senior KRA official added.