The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) will from 2019 allow individuals and businesses to apply for deadline extensions when filing their tax returns.
The move is among changes contained in the Tax Procedures Act which take effect from July 1.
Under the new rules, however, one will have to apply for an extension of the tax filing period 30 days before the June 30 deadline.
In addition, businesses which file their tax returns monthly will be allowed to seek extensions 30 days before the due date.
For such businesses, the deadline for filing returns monthly is the 20th day following the month of deduction.
[caption caption="KRA offices at Times Tower, Nairobi"]
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KRA Domestic Taxes Enforcement Division assistant manager Jeremiah Kinyua stated that decisions on the extension applications would be made within five days to the due date.
“If the commissioner will not have responded to the applicants within the five days, the application will be deemed granted," he stated.
Kinyua, however, noted that if one failed to file the returns after the extension, they would not be allowed to make another application and would be penalized.
“This means one can do the application only once,” he stated at a public sensitization forum on the2018/2019 Fiscal Budget at English Point Marina in Mombasa.
With a June 30 deadline to file tax returns fast approaching, here's all you need to know about how to file your returns on KRA's iTax portal.
[caption caption="KRA Commissioner-General John Njiraini"]
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