KRA threatens over 60,000 PIN holders

As if the government has not yet taxed everything, the taxman, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has listed more than 60,000 taxpayers that are to be deregistered.

KRA has given a 30-day ultimatum to all persons eligible to remit Value Added Taxes as well as income taxes after which they begin the process of deregistering the PIN holders and erasing their data from the national servers.

“Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) would like to notify the public that taxpayers who are registered under the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2013, and the Income Tax Act, CAP 470 Laws of Kenya are required to file their returns under the respective laws. Failure to file tax returns, unless the cause is shown to the contrary, the commissioner of the Domestic Taxes shall have their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) deregistered and cancelled from the KRA system at the expiration of thirty (30) days from the date of this notice,” read a notice from the authority.

To verify if your name is on the list, the authority said one should visit its website.

The taxman further asked taxpayers to take advantage of the voluntary Tax Disclosure program and apply, disclose and pay their outstanding liability with relief on interest and penalties.

The KRA PIN has become a major document for identification and verification and a tool to access a wide variety of government services and participate in financial and economic spheres in our country.

Here are the most popular transactions that require one to produce the PIN:

1. Registration of title, stamping of instruments by the Commissioner of Lands, and payment of Land Rent.

2. Approval of plans, payment of water deposits, application for a business permit, payment of Land Rent by Local Authorities.

3. Registration of Motor Vehicles, and licensing under the Traffic Act (Cap 403) by the Registrar of motor Vehicles.

4. Registration of Business Names and Companies by the Registrars of Business names and companies.

5. Trade licensing by the Ministry of Commerce.

6. Application for Value Added Tax registration.

7. Underwriting policies by Insurance Companies.

8. To facilitate importation of goods, Customs clearing and forwarding at the offices of Commissioner of Customs and Excise.

9. Payment of Deposits for power connections at Kenya Power and Lightning Co. Ltd.

10. To facilitate all contracts for supply of goods and services to all Government Ministries and Public bodies.

11. Bank transactions etc etc