• Taxman has been associated with all manner of negative energies such as being inhuman, brutal, since long ago.
• Online transactions which make the process easier allow the taxpayer to put a human face on taxpayer.
The growth of social media use has been phenomenal in most parts of the world. Social media uptake has arguably surpassed the growth of any other concept that touches on the daily life of man.
Despite the shortcomings associated with social media, the new media has equally availed numerous opportunities such as job opportunities for thousands of people.
As a result of the available opportunities, corporate bodies are gradually jumping the fray of social media users, and while at it, the few bodies in the wagon seem to have gotten a lifeline from the leverage on the new media.
The taxman is arguably one of the biggest beneficiaries of social media as far as the public sector is concerned in Kenya. It is an open secret that since the Biblical days, the taxman has been associated with all manner of negative energies such as being inhuman, brutal, rigid, unapproachable and such attributes.
However, in the contemporary digital media era, the Kenya Revenue Authority seems to have taken full advantage of the new media to change the negative perception that for a long time has followed the tax agency. Through online interactions supported by the new media, taxpayers are now able to give the taxman a ‘human face’ they can easily relate to.
Social media has further played a significant role in breaking down the tax jargon in a manner that now seems to gradually end the antipathy people have always had towards taxes and tax payment. The taxman has phenomenally intertwined the tax concept with happenings around us.
As a result, perceived hard concepts such as iTax are now considerably well understood. Other platforms should make use of social media to enhance service delivery.
Eldoret