Former Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow has said that if the government allows the Kenya Revenue Authority to spy on M-Pesa data they risk abusing the opportunity.
Speaking on Monday, the former legislator said that spying on M-Pesa is an infringement of Kenyans' rights.
"I think the Constitution would not permit the government, KRA or other institutions to have access to my data or my phone or my bank account these are fundamental privacy rights," he said in an interview with NTV.
"It is an infringement of the rights of our telephones because they contain private data."
Kerrow said that everyday people do different transactions that are not income to be taxed.
He said the government should not allow any kind of law that would give institutions the power to abuse Kenyans' rights and subject them to suffering.
This is after the government's plan to integrate the KRA tax system with M-Pesa and other online payments as it targets Sh3 trillion next financial year.
In a detailed Draft 2023 Budget Policy Statement titled 'Economic recovery agenda to promote inclusive growth', the Kenya Kwanza government has outlined an aggressive tax collection plan, which is expected to net Sh2.8 trillion.
To achieve this, the government will undertake a combination of both tax administration and tax policy reforms, the National Treasury said in the policy statement issued Wednesday.
President William Ruto's government is planning to reduce the Corporate Income Tax gap from 32.2 per cent to 30 per cent and integrate the KRA tax system with the telecommunication companies.
