Stakeholders in Nakuru have started evidence-based tax policy advocacy aimed at expanding the county government's tax base to improve revenue collection.
Among the stakeholders in attendance are civil society oganisations.
The research commenced with an information gathering session that brought together various players from the Nakuru county government and the community across the five tax codes.
During the session, participants highlighted issues affecting them in terms tax payment and collection while others made suggestions on ways of increasing revenue.
The participants included a team from the Nakuru county government, mainly the county revenue officers across the five departments and community representatives from different sectors namely agriculture, business, land owners, entertainment and public health and safety.
They raised concerns that they want the county government to address and the revenue officers were present to respond to the concerns.
The meeting was meant to collect the ideas and proposals, recommendations and various issues that are affecting them and use the information to develop a tax policy brief for Nakuru county.
Center for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance (CEDGG) in partnership with Institute of Economic Affairs, Nakuru County Civil Society Organisations Forum and Nakuru county government want to help develop a tax policy that will optimise revenue collection.
CEDGG Program Officer Wilkister Akinyi said an expanded tax base and improved revenue collection ensure effective service delivery.
“The stakeholders are optimistic that their proposals would be incorporated in the tax policy brief that shall be taken up by the county government when developing the tax policy,” she said.
Akinyi said the ultimate goal was for Nakuru county government to utilise the information collected to develop its tax policy and optimise its revenue collection.
She said the information could be used as an opportunity and a yardstick to understand and expand the tax base while at the same time reaching out to motivate residents to pay taxes.
“Through this advocacy, residents are educated on the importance of paying taxes so that they eventually demand for better service delivery,” she said.
A budget expert from Centre for Transformational Leadership (CTL), Peter Rono reinstated the importance of involving citizens in the formulation of tax policy.
He noted that citizens are the recipients of development that comes through taxation as revenue for government.
