KRA to List Tax Defaulters on CRB

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) executives are now mauling on plans to blacklist Tax defaulters on Credit Reference Bureau (CRB).

Appearing before the Parliamentary Finance Committee, KRA commissioner John Njiraini revealed that by doing so, the authority would be better placed to collect debt form hardcore debtors.

He further explained that the commission was already behind on targets imposed on it by Ksh55 Billion and that the deficit would increase to Ksh110 Billion by the end of the financial year.

"We propose CRB listing of non complaint taxpayers will be based on criteria that would be fair and equitable to all tax payers.

"A legal framework to help as deal with defaulters will help as collect a lot of revenue from tax cheats," Njiraini told the committee.

In the last financial year, the taxman missed the set target by around Kshs45 Billion with the deficit set to double by the end of this fiscal year if nothing is done fast.

In the last fiscal year, the taxman collected Ksh1.37 trillion against a target of Sh1.415 trillion.

While at the committee, Njiraini also proposed for the increase of excise duty on betting from 15 per cent to 25 per cent.

This comes roughly a year after betting firms vested pressure on the taxman to reduce an earlier proposed excise duty increase from 35 per cent to the current 15 per cent.

He also blamed the National Treasury, which sets its annual revenue target, of poor funding since they increase the targets yearly but funding to the agency has remained constant.