Editorials
Aggression by the KRA staff at JKIA unhelpful
Thursday November 02 2023
Passengers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the past. FILE PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG
The outcry over the aggressive behaviour of some Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers stationed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) deserves urgent attention.
The facility is the main gateway for millions of passengers, including investors and tourists who are major forex earners for Kenya hence whatever is likely to rattle users of the airport matters.
KRA officers maintain they are enforcing tax compliance rules to curb leaks that potentially cost the country millions of shillings in unrealised revenue.
However, this kind of grandstanding isn’t helpful and could backfire on the country because potential tourists and investors could turn elsewhere, put off by such aggression.
Tax authorities should remember that compliance relies heavily on perception and a lot of effort should go towards winning the trust and confidence of the taxpayer.
Like in many other middle and low-income countries, tax revenues in Kenya remain far below the levels needed to provide citizens with adequate basic services.
Regrettably, tax collection has remained characterised by enormous inequity where a disproportionate burden is placed on the hapless lower and middle-income groups while there are high rates of evasion among corporations and the rich. Going hard on passengers arriving at JKIA cannot make a significant difference in the KRA’s collection targets and it should redouble its efforts on nailing the notorious tax-evading corporates and the superrich.
