• The self-service application process aims at enhancing transparency and efficiency.
• Taxpayers applying for Tax Compliance Certificates (TCCs) will now get the certificates on the spot rather than a few days later.
Taxpayers applying for Tax Compliance Certificates (TCCs) will now get the certificates on the spot rather than a few days later.
This is after the Kenya Revenue Authority rolled out a simplified self-service application process which aims at enhancing transparency and efficiency in the issuance of TCCs.
According to KRA Domestic Taxes Department Commissioner, Elizabeth Meyo, the new process which rolled out on January 12, significantly reduces the issuance timelines from a few days to minutes.
"The automatic issuance of TCCs will be subject to a clean tax record," she said.
A TCC is a certificate issued by KRA to ascertain the tax compliance status of any taxpayer.
The crucial document is valid for 12 months after which one is required to apply for a renewal.
"With the simplified application process in place, there will no longer be intervention by KRA staff in the application and issuance of the document," Meyo said.
She noted that more than 15,000 TCCs have been issued since the rollout of the automated function.
"An indication of the new function’s high success rate," she added.
KRA is also working to clear the pending TCC applications, which had been submitted prior to the rollout of the self-service application process.
Taxpayers who have outstanding tax liabilities will be required to clear their liabilities first or apply for a payment plan on iTax to clear their liabilities.
"Once the first instalment on the payment plan has been received, the applicants will be required to reapply for a TCC for an approval," she said.
On January 9, the KRA board directed its staff to immediately clear a backlog of pending 71, 680 TCCs.
Officials at the Times Towers told the Star that Meyo had also cautioned her staff that late filing penalties for assessment periods beyond five years are not chargeable under the law.