Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has continued recording outstanding revenue performance after collecting KShs 176,656 billion against the month of April target of KShs 170,191 Billion. KRA surpassed the April 2021 target after recording a performance rate of 103.8% implying a surplus of KShs 6.465 billion. The Authority registered 23.9% revenue growth compared to Kshs. 144.06 billion collected in April 2020. This was the fifth successive month that KRA posted an improved and above target performance since December 2020.
KRA exceeded the target despite the slow economic progression brought about by Covid-19 pandemic. The good revenue performance has been enhanced by the sustained implementation of compliance efforts, revenue enhancement initiatives and improved service delivery to taxpayers, which has led to improved voluntary compliance. Additionally, the remarkable performance is also attributed to enhanced active surveillance and enforcement, which has been supported by KRA’s investment in technology. This includes integrated scanners, which have improved levels of compliance at the border points by plugging revenue leakage points.
The KRA Board and leadership have also recently focused on internal performance management aimed at enhancing staff productivity in driving revenue collection initiatives. This was also the fifth month running that Customs & Border Control (C&BC) Department continued to record excellent performance after achieving a performance rate of 112.1% with ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED Page 3 of 4 a revenue collection of KShs 53.996 billion. The performance is against the April target of KShs 48.150 billion. Customs & Border Control performance is attributed to the growing number of imports in Kenya.
This is an indication of the continuous steadily growing economic recovery in the Manufacturing and Construction Sectors. Domestic Taxes registered a notable performance rate of 100.2% after collecting KShs 122.236 billion against the April 2021 revenue collection target of KShs 121.615 billion. Domestic Taxes performance was largely attributed to the excellent performance recorded by Corporation Tax, which registered a performance rate of 116.9%. Corporation Tax collection stood at KShs 39.945 billion against a target of KShs 34.181 billion. PAYE registered a growth of 5.3% corresponding to a performance of 98.5% with a collection of KShs 36.951 billion. Withholding Income Tax surpassed the April 2021 target by collecting a surplus of KShs 1.5 billion. This is after registering a collection of KShs 12.083 billion reflecting a growth of 21.4%. Excise Domestic Tax surpassed the April target after registering a growth of 25.7%.
The Excise Domestic Tax collection amounted to KShs 4.966 billion exceeding the target by KShs 311 million. The Authority remains positive on revenue performance following the projected expansion of the economy by above 6.0% over the medium term, compared to 0.6% projected in 2020 (according to Budget Policy Statement 2021). ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED Page 4 of 4 KRA is also implementing a number of revenue enhancement measures. These include tax base expansion, enhancement of debt recovery programme, implementation of post clearance audits, comprehensive audit of all exemptions, enhanced scanning and intelligence led verification of cargo at the ports of entry and internally and reaching out to taxpayers with tax disputes to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for faster resolution. KRA has also intensified its fight against tax evasion to ensure that no revenue is lost.
The Authority continues to invest in technology to enhance efficiency in revenue collection. KRA reminds all taxpayers to file their 2020 annual tax returns in good time. The filing for the 2020 year of income kicked off on 1st January 2021 and ends on 30th June 2021. All annual tax returns for both individuals and entities from January to December 2020 should be submitted online on the iTax platform before the June deadline. The Authority appreciates compliant taxpayers for their contribution towards furthering Kenya’s economic sustainability through paying of taxes.
Tulipe Ushuru, Tujitegeme COMMISSIONER GENERAL