KRA extends deadline for filing tax returns

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has extended the filing of taxes by two days to Friday July 3, 2015.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s Citizen Business show on Wednesday, KRA Commissioner General John Njiraini said special consideration would be given to those who will be able to file their tax returns by Friday.

“We will consider favourably anyone who will be able to file their returns by this Friday,” said Njiraini.

Njiraini further mentioned that though there are penalties for failing to file tax returns within a given deadline, a waiver would be effected for those who work within the new extension.

“Our intention is not to punish but to encourage as many Kenyans as possible to get onto the iTax platform.”

“By getting onto the platform, we are able to help reduce the inconvenience that taxpayers go through in accessing tax services and also reduce the burden that we have to go through in processing manual documents.”

Njiraini asked those who were not able to file their returns by Tuesday night to do so by Friday, adding that the KRA team will help them go through with the process.”

Kenyans had aired their frustrations with the online process of filing tax returns whose deadline elapsed Tuesday night, with many calling for an extension of the set deadline.

Over 600,000 Kenyans had already filed their returns by Friday last week as the taxman looks to achieve its new revenue collection target of Sh1.35 trillion.