Taxation is arguably one of the most complex concepts, making it a preserve of professionals in the accounting, finance, economic and tax administration disciplines.
However, the status quo might soon be a thing of the past considering what the Kenya Revenue Authority is doing in terms of educating the younger generation on matters taxation. I was particularly impressed recently to see KRA officials accompanied by high school students during an onsite tax return filing exercise in Nairobi.
Majority of the students, I learnt, could successfully file returns. From my brief interaction with the staff, I gathered that KRA has been partnering with secondary schools and colleges to teach the young citizens about taxation with a view to nurturing a tax compliant society.
This initiative, I further gathered, has been made possible through the establishment of tax clubs and tax societies at these institutions. With the inadequacy of tax education in our school curriculum, the partnership between the taxman and these institutions is therefore laudable and will go a long way in inculcating a fully tax compliant society in Kenya.
It is also an impeccable initiative that will psychologically prepare future taxpayers on civic obligations such as tax payment. They shall be saved the shock most of us got when we received our first payslip as we could not understand what Pay as You Earn (PAYE) was.
For this to work, the Ministry of Education and other concerned players needs to expedite the process of incorporating basic tax education in our school curriculum. This should be in full cognisance of the fact that tax payment is the only source of income to enable any government to provide basic amenities to its people.
Karatina
